Beautiful Somehow
by Neon.Love.Monkey
Summary: He’d never met anyone like her. She made him angry, upset, happy, and confused all at the same time. Some people said she had two powers...control of the elements...and the ability to make people fall in love with her...Warren.OC...Chp 11 IS UP!
1. M is for Marris

Beautiful Somehow

_He'd never met anyone like her. She made him angry, upset, happy, and confused all at the same time. That had never happened with anyone before. Some people had said that she had two powers…the power to control the elements…and the power to make people fall in love with her. He'd thought it was absurd…you can't have the power to make someone fall in love with you. "No Warren," Layla had laughed. "It's just the way Marris is."_

Chapter 1: "M is for Marris."

She had been peacefully dreaming when out of no where her dream was interrupted by the loud sound of booming music that was invading her ears. When she had fully opened her eyes, she was lying on the hardwood floor of her bedroom groggily blinking to see where the source was coming from. _Zack…_

"Zack!" Marris Revora yelled as loud as she could, knowing her annoying cousin was still somewhere in her dark room. "Zack, you idiot, I know you're in here! You're glowing!"

Daring to open her eyes more than she already was, she squinted at the bright light that was emitting from her cousin. She'd been more than surprised to return home and find her baby cousin with his power…and she'd been even more surprised when she'd found out that he'd inherited the somewhat odd power of glowing from their grandfather.

"Aww…damn! I was hoping you wouldn't notice that!" Zack moaned as he turned down her stereo. The songs of Death Cab for Cutie finally got down to normal instead of buzzing in her ears. Nothing but a scowl rode Marris' face as she watched her glowing cousin move across her room. Seconds later the bright sunshine of another day poured into her room while Zack was found straightening out her curtains. "Man…It always amazes me to that it's so clean in here."

"Well I am a girl," She laughed with a shake of her head. "You're hilarious…you know that right? Just _hilarious_." Zack turned around with a goofy grin deep on his face. This only deepened the satisfaction that came when she blasted a shot of water at his face.

"Marris!" He exclaimed while hurriedly wiping his face off. She only smirked when he met her eyes. "I hate it when you do that Mare."

"Well it wouldn't have been done if a certain cousin of mine hadn't woken me up," Marris sighed stiffly, leaning her head against her bed. Her side was sore from falling off her bed and her duvet was lying on the floor with her. "What time is it?"

"Eight fifteen," At his words Marris jumped to her feet and sent a burst of ice out at him as she did. "Hey!"

"It's eight fifteen? Zack! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" He watched her with amused eyes as she ran over to her closet, water still trailing from her hand. "Zack! Out!"

"Kay cuz, but don't be late. Ron doesn't wait for anybody," Zack laughed as he began to walk out of her room. "And you're welcome for the wake up call." Marris paused as her green-gray eyes watched him leave the room, his smirk still on his face when he turned around. "Ron's the bus driver by the wa-"

"I know! You've told me a million and three times. Now get out before I really give you something to be upset about." He had been grimacing at the wet spot on his shirt from her water and he looked up before quickly disappearing behind the closed door.

……

"Here's a smoothie…Mom made it for you before she left for work." Marris rolled her eyes as Zack handed her a disposable mug with a feeble straw sticking out of the lid hole.

"Thanks," Marris smiled as she walked down the front stairs of their house. It was so different from Greece…there everyone had seen everyone all the time. The small houses had been all joined in one large block of life on a Greek island surrounded by the bluest waters. She wished she could go back…but she was more than happy to be home. "What's with the lid?" Zack sent her a silly glance as if she should know what she was asking was stupid.

"It's for safety. They call it _Sky_ _High_ for a reason Marris."

"Oh," Marris shook her long honey brown hair as she walked alongside her cousin. The feeling of her brown and navy polka dotted dress swaying nicely in the cool fall breeze made her smile to herself. She'd been smart enough to pull a navy wool shrug on after she'd felt how cold it was when she'd woken up to an open window. A rush of emotions filled her as she took another sip of her smoothie. She was more than nervous about how the kids at Sky High were going to accept her special power. Ever since her first summer in Greece with her mother, who had once been the famous **Aqua Woman**, she'd begun to wake up feeling how it was outside. By the time she had come back home to live with her Aunt and Uncle in America she'd been able to control water, earth, fire and wind like an amateur. And now at fifteen years old she was a pro. "So what's your girlfriend's name again?"

Zack blushed and she could see the faint glow on his cheeks as they stepped onto the sidewalk, Marris still contently sipping her strawberry mocha smoothie. In the emails he'd been sending her Zack had asked for nothing about advice about a girl named-

"Magenta…but we call her Maj for short." He said quickly. After she'd given him the best advice she could Zack had won over the shape shifter at their Homecoming Dance…the night he and his friends had saved the school.

"I get to meet her, right?" Zack threw an arm around his cousin as they continued walking down the street and laughed. She was almost half a year older than he was, but he'd still towered over her since the age of three which made it much easier for him to lazily lean on her.

"Of course. You get to meet all the guys."

……

"Dudes!"

The loud exclamation that had come with the opening of the bus doors scared him and he felt his fingers become warm for a second. He had been sleeping after not getting much sleep from being at Will's the night before. Things had been rough with his drunken mom at home so he'd gone to the only person he knew would willingly take him in. His best friend had still been surprised when he opened the door to find Warren with a large duffel back hanging from his shoulder.

"Hey Zack Attack." Layla laughed from beside Will. Warren's smokey gray eyes looked up to see Zack grinning at his friends. And immediately, Warren wondered what was so different about this day…it was Monday. If anything they shouldn't be happy about going back to school. But Zack was glowing…literally. From the front of the bus he could hear Ron introducing himself to someone.

"I'm Ron Wilson. Bus driver…it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Revora. Here's my card…just incase you ever need anything…but I'm sure your cousin has one."

Cousin? The only person Ron had given his cards to after Homecoming were the Heroes that had saved the school. Meaning one of them had to have a cousin-

"I want you guys to meet my cousin…Marris," The brunette girl appeared beside Zack. Though he wasn't into noticing things Warren couldn't help be feel her smile filling the whole bus with a warm gust of wind. Layla's gasp was immediately heard and Warren rolled his eyes as the bus started moving again, almost sending Zack and Maris to the floor. A new friend that none of them knew…how wonderful. "Marris this is Maj and Ethan…and that's Warren."

He glanced up when his name was mentioned and made eye contact with her for a second. However, he broke it when he felt his hands heat up. _That was weird._

"Zack! Miss Revora, please be seated. We only have one more stop to make…and then…off to Sky High." Ron shouted the last words quietly and Warren's eyes rolled again. He was even more convinced to keep the secret of a Super Hero high school ever since Homecoming, and frankly, the pyromaniac was tired of hearing the same warning every day when he got on the bus.

"Um…hi. Could I…sit here?"

……

"Sure."

Marris smiled at Warren as she sat down, smoothie still in her hand as she slid her gray and brown vintage messenger bag onto her lap as she sat down. Like most of her girl friends she didn't carry around a purse just because of the fact that she didn't want to be constantly bothered with something small that could easily be stolen or lost.

"Marris, Marris, Marris!" Layla's voice called from the seat across from her and she smiled turning to face her best friend. She was sitting beside her boyfriend and Marris' old friend, Will Stronghold. She and Zack had grown up with the two and Marris could distinctly remember many a time when she had bothered Layla about him. He had been scrawny and nerdy back then. As for Layla, she had never really changed. Her long red hair was tied into two pigtails on the side of her face and each was held together by small hippie-like flower pins. It was a look that was always hers.

"That would be me." Marris smiled as Layla tugged on her skirt. She hadn't seen her since she'd disappeared at the beginning of the summer and their only way of communication had been emails, instant messaging and mostly letters (seeing as her Nana's computer hadn't been in the best shape). So her only way of describing Greece to her best friend had to be through words...bad and good. Luckily, Layla was good that way.

"So tell me, tell me. How was the rest of Greece? Was it amazing? Because it sounded beautiful in your letters…How's your Nana and your Bapi? And your Mom, how is she?" Layla's outburst of words left Marris laughing and she heard Warren sigh beside her.

"Don't worry…you get used to it with time." She muttered to him as she fumbled with her bag to get the pictures that Layla had made her swear to take. Marris took the risk to glance up at the boy only to find him looking at her with a smirk deep on his face.

"I've been trying to." She held in a giggle as she turned back to Layla who was trying to get Maj's attention.

"Greece was amazing as usual Lay, and my Nana, Bapi and my Mom are all doing well." Handing the envelope of pictures to her friend, she smiled as Layla excitedly took them. Suddenly her hand began to tingle with unexplained warmth, the exception of a frosty freeze mingled in being the only set back. She blinked as Maj gasped at the first picture. _What is that?_ In curiosity Marris turned to face Warren. He was still looking out the window as he had been minutes before. Deciding it was only another weird mix up in her bloodstream, Marris turned away from him. But before she did, she couldn't help but notice him flexing his hand as if he too was experiencing some pain in his fingers.

……

"Nervous?"

She had been twisting her hands together when they'd gotten up in the air and she'd even screamed a bit when they'd began to advance further upwards. He had sworn that when that had happened the bus almost fell out of the sky and a chill of ice had run up his leg. _What the hell is that?_

"Just a bit," Marris smiled and bit her lip as she looked at the school. "Okay…yeah. First day of high school for me…nothing beats those jitters." She laughed and Warren felt another warm breeze sink by him oddly.

"Things have changed at Sky High…you don't really need to worry about it." Warren said. Though he tried his best not to, he grimaced at the tone in his voice. For some strange reason he was trying to be reassuring to a girl he could care less about. "And if you need help you've got Stronghold and Hippie to help. But if they aren't around...I'll try my best to help."

Marris smiled again as the rest of their group assembled behind her, each of them talking amongst themselves. Warren slung his bag across his shoulder as he began to walk towards the school. He was eager to get to his first period class for the soul reason of being able to hide in the back row. Unless it was Medulla's class. It was then and only then that he loved to be in the front and annoy the brain head as much as he could.

"Thanks…Warren." He only paused for a second as Marris thanked him, but then continued on and shook his head free of thoughts. He had to stop with girls…the last and only relationship he'd ever had had turned out just as he thought. He'd found Patricia in the Janitor's Closet with Brian McLaser at lunch after Zack had tipped him off. They'd been dating for two weeks when that happened. Warren had broken it off with Patricia the next period.

You just have to ignore it… 

……

"It's weird. He usually ignores girls that aren't me or Maj and even then sometimes he just doesn't talk to us at all."

Marris laughed and shook her head as they made their way to the gym. Principal Powers had apparently given Layla the liberty to chaperone her to her own private session of Power Placements. And though Layla had grimaced when she said that it didn't even really matter anymore after Homecoming, Marris couldn't help but feel even more nervous when she explained it to her.

"They send a flying car towards you? Oh Layla…what if I do the wrong power? How am I supposed to stop a car from hitting me? Set it on fire? Or make a basket of thorns to catch it? Or freeze it to pieces?" Marris sighed and became consumed with worry as they opened the Gymnasium doors. "I might as well just send a gust of wind up towards it."

A silence filled the conversation between her and Layla. The brunette looked up at her friend. Layla's eyebrows were raised and as Boomer walked into the gym, Marris smiled nervously and bit her lip. _Bad habit, bad habit._

"Well...there you go."

……

"Name freshman?"

Boomer's loud voice was slightly intimidating at its loudness, but Marris tried to not it get to her. She glanced down at Layla. Supportively the redhead gave her thumbs up the second she did. Marris smiled…it was so like her to do such a cheesy thing. She definitely had been given an easier job than the others that had gone a few months before she had. Layla was her only audience.

"Marris Revora sir." She answered him as clearly and as politely as she could while keeping a reasonable amount of eye contact with the floor.

"Power?" Marris bit her lip before she glanced up at Boomer and quickly looked back down at the ground.

"Control over the elements sir." Marris answered quietly again. She could hear the scraping of his pen on his clip board paper.

"Which elements?" Boomer asked and Marris looked up while anticipating the look of surprise she knew she would be getting.

"All of them…sir." She replied with no trace of hesitation. A grin formed on her lips when he looked up at her with wide and impressed eyes.

"All of them?"

"Yes sir. Earth, water, fire and wind. All of them." Marris recited the list she had grown to know so well perfectly. She didn't stutter and the trace of shyness she'd had when she walked into the room had disappeared. But despite the confidence, Boomer didn't seem to believe her. He only stepped back and shook his head. _Arrogant man. What can you do? Yell at things?_

"Car."

This was the part that Layla had warned her about. She heard the click and the roar of a junkie car falling down from the roof. Panic spread over her as she realized it wasn't going to stop...it was coming to squish her. By instinct she threw her hands up in the air and made the first thing that ran through her blood. A large and powerful gust of frosted wind blew up towards the car, threw it off the platform and swept it to the side of the gymnasium with a loud crash.

"Revora…HERO!" Boomer's scream was so loud it sent Layla and Marris to the ground, their hands covering their ears as they tried to block out the ring. _Okay...so you __**can**__ yell at things._ When Layla had run up beside her Marris was blushing lightly. The whole school had more than likely heard her assessment…just what she needed for her first day.

"I guess you're coming to class with me and Will now!" Layla cooed happily as she linked arms with the girl. Her smile was easily brimming. Layla had switched classes after Homecoming and even though Marris was convinced she'd done it because of Will, she had insisted it was because Principal Powers had made her switch.

"You'll make a fine opponent in Save the Citizen Revora…just like your mother." Marris's eyes widened as Boomer began to make his way out of the gymnasium. "A fine one indeed."

"Wha—what?"

……

It was second period. Marris and Layla walked into the Mad Science room arm in arm while giggling and whispering about the performance in her private Power Placement.

"Not that it matters anyway," Layla said matter-o-factly as she sat down at the table opposite Marris. She was a lab partner with Will, and Marris…well…it was the only table that wasn't already taken up by two people. "You could've used any one of your powers and you would've been perfect."

"I suppose so…but Boomer didn't seem to believ-"

"WHO'S A HERO?" Will's loud cheer interrupted Marris and she laughed while turning to face the boy who was eagerly coming into the room. Behind him was… "I'm so proud of you Marris. The whole school heard Boomer! It was kind of like what happened to me, but with a different result."

Marris smiled at him as he slapped her back. She wasn't used to Will with super strength. Her mind was still convinced he couldn't open a pickle jar. This misconception along with her unsteadiness sent her flying into the table in front of her.

"Oh! Whoops…sorry Marris." He laughed and she straightened herself up with a deep breath. "Good job girl."

"Thank you Will." Marris coughed, looking at Layla with raised eyebrows. "I'm just happy Boomer was pleased."

"So what's your power?" This time it wasn't Will that was speaking… Warren had sat down in the empty seat beside her. "I had to listen to Stronghold for the past forty-five minutes tell me how wonderful you are…I can at least know what made him go all giddy on me."

Marris smiled at Warren and turned to him as Medulla walked into the room. The largeness of his head was surprising and was only exaggerated by its waxy surface shining in the light.

"Ah…so you're my lab partner?" She said slyly before letting out a giggle and responding to his actual question. It was like her to talk a lot…even with people she didn't know. She was friendly…and Warren seemed like just the kind of person to get to know. "I'm an element controller…nature's elements that is. Earth, wind, fire, and water…which can be turned into ice as well, so it's really kind of a two in one deal there."

Warren's face seemed to stiffen in thinking and Marris raised her eyebrows, smiling again.

"Are you okay, Warren?" She asked and he nodded, turning to the front, as Medulla's chalk scraped against the chalkboard in quick jots.

"Impressive…must've been hard for you at first." His reply made Marris pause in her thinking…why was this boy whom she didn't even know thinking so much on this? Perhaps he had a nature power too…Layla said hers had come at an early age and taken her a while to get used to.

"Yeah…it was." She sighed, blinking quickly. "I'm sorry…um…what was your power?"

"I'm a pryokenetic…I can control fire." Warren explained, only glancing at her once. There was something about his eyes that disturbed her…and again, she felt the fire and ice mix in her blood when their eyes met.

"I know what that means." Marris replied teasingly, looking back at the front of the classroom as Medulla began to talk, smiling evilly at the students before folding his hands together and looking at all of them.

"Hello, my little lab rats. Today, we experience the relishing effects of the Lunesta plant, most commonly used in the most sinister of sleeping potions…and even in some death concoctions…"

"I am one after all." She leaned back into her regular seat before she could catch Warren smile, his smokey eyes flickering to her before back to Medulla.

……

Before she knew it, Marris had experienced her first actual class. It had been rather amusing to see Will fall asleep on Layla and pretend to have a dream about fighting the evil, but very fictional, Riddler from Batman. He was trying to save Layla and Warren, and Warren was screaming like a little girl, while Layla was the one that was burning…it had been a very odd dream indeed and what had amused Marris the most was Warren's reaction to all this. His head had been on the lab table most of the lesson seeing as Medulla had enjoyed watching Will panic in his own dream.

"I can't believe he actually did that." Will was fuming as he, Layla, Marris and Warren walked out of the classroom. "I honestly thought he would've stopped…man, this is so embarrassing…"

"Hey, you weren't the one screaming like a little girl, Stronghold. And you better never have a dream about me…again. Or the fact that you're my best friend won't stand in the way of you being burnt to a crisp." Warren had mumbled angrily before storming off ahead of this, his fists glowing red and smoking as he did.

"Oh shoot…I forgot my book…I need to go get it…I'll meet you in the cafeteria, okay guys?" Layla was soon off down the hall and Marris saw Will's anxious face as he watched her disappear through the crowds of people.

"Go Will. I think I can find the cafeteria on my own." He smiled at her, his brown eyes twinkling as he began to walk down the hallway, still facing her.

"Just turn right and look for the big doors…you can't miss them…save us a seat Mare!" She waved him off as he called to her, almost bumping into Medulla as he turned around. Marris giggled lightly as she turned around to the other side of the hall where Warren had disappeared down.

"Okay…right…big doors…got it."

……

"So you left in quite a hurry."

Warren looked up to see Marris sitting down in front of him, smiling as she did. And although he usually hated eating lunch with the 'Sky High Heroes', he felt like today would be different. Marris was extremely different…talkative, but in a friendly way that wasn't seemingly annoying. And although it had angered him then, she'd mercilessly teased him in Mad Science class…and then he'd managed to laugh about it later.

"What are you doing?" He asked icily and she raised her eyebrows, her fork in hand.

"I'm getting ready to eat my lunch. What are you doing?" She was mocking him. Warren straightened, looking her in the eyes as he did. Her eyes were intense…and all he could do was stare at her menacingly.

"Don't mock me." She broke eye contact with him after a while of a staring contest, and continued to spear her fork into her salad.

"I'm not mocking you."

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Marris…"

The brunette smiled, sliding her salad filled fork into her mouth. His eyes traveled down to her salad and back to his own lunch, an egg-salad sandwich with juice and an apple. Layla had told him to be more environmentally friendly with his lunches…so Will had pressured him into staying off the hamburgers for at least a week. Not that it mattered…he could just grab one on his way to work.

"So Warren…tell me what you know of Save the Citizen?"

……

"Oh, my gosh, Will, look." From the cafeteria line, Will looked up at his girlfriend's request, her gaze looking over to their usual table. Warren was sitting there…but he wasn't alone. Marris was sitting with him, her fork dipping up and down as she casually made conversation with him, looking genuinely interested in what Warren was saying.

"Warren…talking to Marris?" He said, blinking again as he stood at the end of the line, Layla in front of him, both of them staring at the pair of people at the table. "There is no way this is happening."

"Sup dudes? What are we staring at?" Zack was suddenly beside Will and he laughed his eyes still on Marris and Warren. It was absurd…he'd rarely even talked to him that way…and they were best friends.

"Marris. She's talking to Warren. As in actually having a conversation with him, with out me or Will or anyone there." Layla said, shaking her head as she paid the cafeteria lady.

"Well it is Marris." Zack shrugged as he moved down the line as well, grabbing the very last pudding.

"Yes. But that's Warren!" countered Will and Zack shrugged again, his bright yellow clothes clashing with Maj's dark purple gear as she came up behind, taking the pudding off of his tray and putting it on her own without him noticing a thing.

"Yeah, but…you know what we all say about Marris." Will continued to stare in disbelief at Zack while Layla's face brightened in understanding as they began to make their way to the table.

"Ah, right. That she has two powers. Element control and the ability to make people fall in love with her." Will laughed at Layla's words and she, Maj and Zack turned to face him, their eyebrows raised.

"I've never heard anyone say that about Mare before." He laughed, shaking his head. Maj rolled her eyes turning around and beginning to walk again.

"Oh come on. Even I've heard that one before." She moaned as she turned her head to them, still walking. "So are we going to starve or what? I'm sure Warren and Marris won't mind us sitting with them."

……

"No way…so you actually have to defeat the villains? And save the doll from the spike thing?"

Warren almost caught himself smiling as Marris replied to what he'd told her about Save the Citizen. As much as he knew she would more than likely be a good contender in the game, he didn't want her to be bothering herself with it. Save the Citizen was a game for the brave or butch girls with extraordinary powers that could pick themselves up after a hit. Not girls like Layla and Marris who were more suited to be hippies than super heroes.

"Yeah…and if you don't, you're disqualified from the match and you don't get to face another team." He explained, watching her face go deep in thought. She seemed to be considering it…but she couldn't be considering it.

"And when did you say it starts again?"

Warren sighed, rubbing his hand against his leather jacket as he thought of what to say. He needed to convince her that it was something bad…that she could get seriously hurt if she was faced with someone like Lash. Regrettably, he, Speed and Penny were allowed back into Sky High with detention every day for two months. To Warren, he thought they deserved to go to jail, but they proved to be too young to go. And well Gwen, who had actually been around 30 or 40, had been sentenced to life…in prison. But not triple life…

"Warren?" He shook his head as Marris sighed, intent on the subject of Save the Citizen still.

"It starts sometime this week. They take one week on, one week off, usually. To allow the teams to recover if they need it." He added more emphasis on the word recover in an attempt to hopefully scare her, but she seemed unmoved, moving onto her chocolate pudding as she listened to him.

"Hmm…sounds like fun." She smiled, glancing up at him before returning to her pudding.

"It's fun…but it is hard." Warren said stiffly, looking at Marris with what he hoped were convincing eyes. "You have to know what to do all the time. Focus at all times."

Marris paused for a second, her eyebrows raising and her mouth falling open in a gasp.

"You don't think I could do it." Warren felt his cheeks light up and he shook his head, breaking off a piece of his sandwich as she surveyed him in shock.

"It's not that, it's just-"

"I can't believe you don't think I would be a good hero in Save the Citizen!" She gasped again, her voice full of amusement at his embarrassment. That wasn't what he'd meant entirely. "My mother and father would have killed someone who'd ever thought that."

"Your mother and father?" He asked, not knowing exactly who she was. He didn't even know her last name…how was he supposed to know what generation she was? "Who were they?"

"Ever heard of AquaWoman? Or Cyclone?" Warren's eyes went wide, knowing the two from meeting them rather briefly at one of his mother's convention parties. "Yeah…mommy and daddy dearest."

"Oh." Was all he could really say, feeling his cheeks heat up again. "Didn't Cyclone-"

"Yeah." Marris said quietly, biting her lip as she looked down. "That's why I live with Zack…my mom never did quite get over that night."

"I know what you mean." He replied, staring at her head. She was still looking down, and he saw her hair reflect colors of silver, blue and red mixed in the deep brown. For a second, he forgot about why felt remorseful and angry, but then he remembered. "My dad was Baron Ba-"

"I know." If it hadn't been for the sincere tone her voice had taken on, Warren wouldn't have looked up. When he did, his eyes met hers and confusion took on his mind. He was angry with her, upset with her, but at the same time happy with her and glad she hadn't chosen to sit at another table. "Warren,"

"Hey guys!" Layla's happy voice cut into his thoughts as she took as seat beside Marris, Will and Zack sitting on either side of him as Maj took Marris's other side. "Thanks for saving us seats."

"This table is always empty until you guys come." Warren said angrily, looking up at Marris who just lightly smiled his way. "Then it gets full."

"Wow…you guys wouldn't believe what happened in Hero Support class today…Mr. Boy almost jumped out of the window when he was demonstrating heroic leaps." Ethan's chirpy voice broke in as the boy sat at the table, taking a seat beside Layla, his usual orange attire making his dark skin look even darker than it usually did. "How were your classes?"

……

"Hey…" Marris looked to find Warren standing by the empty seat on the bus. She'd escaped from the group to get on the bus early, so she wouldn't have to listen to Maj and Zack fight. Today it was because she'd ditched them half way through lunch to go get something from the library. And she hadn't let Zack come with her. It had been too suspicious for Zack, and he'd accused her of seeing someone else…the rest had fallen out and she could see Maj's angry face when they walked out of History of Heroes class. "Can I sit?"

"I don't know…I heard you usually don't sit with people." She smiled as Warren sat down, his eyebrows raised as he looked at her. "Especially new girls who you just meet?"

"Layla talked to you then?" He grumbled and Marris nodded, turning slightly in her seat to face him. Why he was sitting with her, she had no idea…or why he'd stayed with her practically the whole day after lunch, she was clueless. But she did know why every girl she didn't know at Sky High was glaring at her when they walked down the hallway. Layla had informed her in Citizen Support that almost every girl in Sky High was yes, scared of him, but head over heels in like with him. His bad boy status had been totally hot to most of the teenage girls at Sky High and well…Warren had indeed noticed. Layla had also told her that before Will and Warren had become best friends, they'd been arch enemies, but after the Homecoming dance, everything had changed. So Warren was no longer a loner.

"Yes, she did. And I must say I was very surprised when I heard that Warren Peace had been a loner before Homecoming dance. From what I've heard, you're very popular with the ladies." Warren's lips curled up in an annoyed smile and Marris pointed, her eyes were narrowed in conclusion. "Aha."

"What?" He tried to look down at what she was pointing at, but her face made him stop.

"I also heard that you smiling was a very rare occurrence. So tell me, Mr. Peace, if you hate almost all girls, don't like smiling, and usually sit by yourself unless you're with Will or Layla, why are you sitting with me now smiling?"

"Because…I don't know. You're trying to be friends with me…and not trying to get in my pants or something."

"Oh…am I now?" She laughed, setting her hand on his shoulder as she smiled at him. Again, a sunny breeze filled the bus and Warren looking around in suspicion, turning to face her eventually. "I think we're going to be good friends, Warren."

"Yeah…I think we're uh…getting there."


	2. I Could've Been Changing!

2: "I Could've Been Changing!" 

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys! I'm glad you like the story so far! Here's chapter 2!

"Yeah…I have no idea what question four means…yes, I need your help Lay…it's not cheating, it's helping me study…look, Medulla isn't letting me off for not being here for the first two weeks of the unit, and I have no idea what this plant stuff if about…Yeah, I'll grow one and put myself to sleep Layla. Could you please just help me…no, Medulla doesn't know why I was in Greece for that long…no, I don't want to tell him, or Powers for that matter…because Layla, I don't want them to be constantly worried about me and my puri-" 

"Marris!"

The loud knock on her door made her pause in her conversation (slash argument) with Layla over the phone. She was lying on her bed on her stomach, her Mad Science book out in front of her, her notebook filled with notes that ended on question 4. While the rest of her teachers had been forgiving with Marris's absent, Medulla had not and had assigned her homework on Sleeping Plants with no help whatsoever. Not that she minded at all…she'd always had a strange knack for homework…but question 4 was giving her a headache. Which wasn't good…the last time she'd had a headache, she'd woke up on the couch to find the vase of flowers on the coffee table on fire.

"One second Layla…what do you want Zack?" Her door opened, and she raised her hand up to it quickly, a gust of air slamming it shut again. "Zack!"

"What! I just wanted to talk to you!" She rolled her eyes, tugging on a piece of her long hair. "Marris…"

"Layla? I'll have to call you back…yes, of course it's Zack, who else do you think it is? Bye bye hun." Pressing the **TALK** button on her phone, she threw it down onto her bed and crawled off her bed, walking slowly over to the door and planting herself firmly against it.

"Jeez, you didn't have to slam the door closed." Marris gave out an annoyed smile and sighed, still holding the door shut.

"Well, I could've thrown a ball of fire at you instead…would you have liked that better?"

"That's not the point Marris." Zack mumbled and she let out another annoyed sigh. "Why didn't you just let me in?"

"Because! What if I had been…getting changed or something?" Her smile turned to playful as she heard his frustrated sigh, slamming his fist against the door.

"Getting changed while talking to Layla on the phone about your homework?" She let her eyes roll as she paused before opening the door, leaning against the frame as she came face to face with her cousin, Zack.

"What do you want, glow boy?" Marris asked and Zack's blonde eyebrows raised, looking past her and into her room.

"Could I at least come in? I don't want dad to hear or he'll flip."

Marris blinked as she nodded, allowing her cousin to come into her room. The large room that was full of growing honeysuckle, assorted types of lilies, roses, sunflowers, and wild flowers smelt like the purest forest when you walked in. It had light shades of browns, grays, whites, blues and reds thrown all around the periwinkle blue room and the shimmering cloths of fabric she had hung up made it her own private sanctuary.

"What's up?" She asked, jumping on her bed and sitting cross-legged as she faced her cousin. He smiled at the mug of coffee she had picked up and Marris shrugged. "I need my caffeine."

"Addict." Zack muttered and she stuck her tongue out at him, smiling as a large tree branch almost knocked him over as it grew behind him.

"Sit down…you came in here for something, didn't you?" Marris said, looking back down at her homework. She needed to get the eight questions done before it was too late for her to stay up, and Zack wasn't helping much with her time.

He sat down casually, sprawling out against the branch.

"I heard a rumor at school today that you and Warren Peace have somethin' going on." Marris laughed at Zack's words and he sat up, shaking his head. "Oh come on Mare. I saw you guys talking on the bus."

"Yeah, but, it's just Warren." She shrugged and Zack let out a frustrated mumble. "Sorry?"

"You don't get it, Marris." He said, looking her square in the eye. "That's what it is. It's just Warren…and Warren isn't the type of person that likes to sit with people he doesn't know, or talk to people on the bus."

"But I was friends with Layla, and Will, and you, Zack. And he's your friend too, so I don't see what the problem is."

"Sure he's my friend, but we ain't good friends. The guy barely ever talks to me, much less lets me sit there unless Will or Layla are there. And you just-"

Marris stared at Zack blankly as she struggled with words, letting out an airy chuckle before continuing.

"You just went and sat with him. And he actually let you. That's not what Warren Peace usually does." Zack shrugged, leaning back on the tree branch. "Let's just say…it got the girls talking." Marris took a sip of her coffee while she thought, looking down at a honeysuckle that was embroidering itself on her duvet. So what? She and Warren sat together on the bus. Had lunch together. Worked on experiments in Mad Science together…and after she'd been at Sky High for _one_ day, they were already starting to talk about her?

"Great," She sighed, looking up at Zack. "My first day at Sky High and people are already starting rumors about me." The blonde boy in front of her laughed, leaning forward to pat her head lightly.

"Welcome to high school, M." And as he leaned back, the tree branch snapped out of place and disappeared, sending him crashing to the floor. "Hey! What'd I do?"

……

When Marris got onto the bus a few days later, she smiled at her friends, old and new, before taking a seat beside Warren. This time, just like the last three days, she didn't have to ask…and this time, just like the other three times, he didn't scold her when she sat down.

"So I'm growing on you then?" She said slyly, a smirk playing on his lips before he answered.

"Do I really have a choice?"

Marris laughed, twisting the silver ring on her thumb around as she pretended to think. Of course he had a choice…but she hadn't really let him be rude to her yet. And besides…he seemed to like having her around him. Zack's information about the rumors had been correct…and when she'd tried to talk to Warren about it, he'd shaken it off like it was nothing. But of course it was something. Especially if any other girl he'd had a relationship with was looking into it.

"No…" She giggled again, the hat on her head making her look very classy. It looked as if it came from France in the 40s, and its faded periwinkle blue made it stick out against her dark hair. She was wearing it halfway on her head so that it titled across the right side of her face and she'd pinned it down so it would stay that way. "I like your hair."

Her rather random comment made Warren look up at her, his dark smokey eyes deep in confusion as he looked her face up and down before replying.

"Thanks…I like your hat." Marris smiled, turning from him to face the bus as it turned down a street, preparing to make a stop somewhere around the next corner. She really did like his hair…the bright red streaks contrasted so well with his dusty black locks, it made him look all the more flame powerful.

"Thank you."

And as the last student boarded the bus, she saw Ron tear off his disguise gear, just like he had the days before, and felt the familiar twist in her stomach. She enjoyed the bus ride…but she hated the flying part…especially when they were going up.

"Are you going to scream this time?" He asked as the seatbelts automatically strapped themselves around each student's body, making her squirm in discomfort. She turned to glare at him for a second before breaking into a small smile, looking back up at the front.

"I hope not."

The bus started to go through the pylons, narrowly missing the large tires each time Ron swerved through them. And then, she glimpsed the bright orange of the **DEAD END **launch pad.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no…" She muttered and Warren turned to her again, letting out an annoyed sigh.

"We've been through this how many times, Revora?" And they the loud screech came before they blasted off into the air, most students letting out cheers of joy as they did. But Marris squeezed her eyes shut, her face turning to Warren's shoulder and her hand immediately finding his.

"I hate flying." She mumbled, still not focusing on what she was doing before she felt a tingling freeze and boil fill her hand. But she couldn't let go…Warren's grasp on her hand was too tight.

……

Warren Peace stepped off of the bus with his cheeks red, his attitude flustered and his hand burning with an odd sensation. Over the past three days, he and Marris had been inseparable at school, and the odd thing was that it hadn't been by choice. They'd been paired up in almost every class, and at lunch they always found themselves the first ones to be at the table.

And as for the bus…well, nothing changed there. She always walked onto the bus, the wind reflecting her mood as she walked over to him, sitting down silently beside him before immediately breaking into a quiet conversation. And frankly, she was mystifying to Warren.

Something about her always made him happy…and angry at the same time. Happy she was there and angry because he couldn't figure out why he was happy…she confused him. And he was upset with her for that. But it would always melt away with the first word and suddenly he'd find himself kind of smiling.

"I'm sorry for acting like that back there." Marris's embarrassed voice filled his ears and he turned around to her shrugging as they both started to walk towards the bustling school grounds slowly. He had to admit, she did look very good today…that hat was perfect for her hair that she'd done up in curls today, and the white scoop-neck knit sweater along with the brown denim jeans she had on went perfectly with it. Her periwinkle blue shoes and snow white jacket that fell past her waist topped off the look and Warren suddenly shook his head as he caught himself staring at her. Was he actually noticing how well a girl had dressed? He couldn't be…it wasn't possible. But as he glanced at her again, her faded crimson lipstick making her look even more porcelain skinned, he knew he needed to talk to someone about this weird feeling. And fast.

"It's okay. I guess you're just not used to the bus yet." She smiled, a warm gust of wind rushing past them as she did. From across the large field in the middle of the front yard of Sky High, he noticed Patricia sitting on the orange concrete block that ran along the side of the stairs, staring at him, then at Marris rather lethally. His blood started to boil at this and Warren began to storm towards her. It bothered him that she was jealous of one of his friends, while she had gone and cheated on him with some guy that she probably had just run into in the hallway. "I'll be right back."

"Warren?" Marris's voice didn't stop him this time and she watched him stalk off towards a group of snobbish looking girls. "Peace, where are you going?"

"I'll be back." He snapped and she stopped walking as he closed his eyes, shaking his head as he continued to walk in Patricia's direction, his fists boiling with his anger. "Patricia."

The blonde looked up, her group of friends standing around her as their eyes threatened him wordlessly. This included Penny the multiplying cheerleader, one of the Villain Students that had gotten off of prison on parole. He'd had to face off against her and several other villains only a few months earlier…the same night he'd met Patricia.

"Warren, sweetie." She perked up instantly and he wanted so badly to set fire to every single strand of Barbie blonde curls covering her head. Then he'd love to see how many people would like to have cheating affairs with her on honest boyfriends. "Come back to me at last?"

"Actually, the exact opposite." He said icily, his smokey eyes narrowing in on her. "Stay out of my life…and away from my friends." Patricia stood up, squaring off with him as glared at her. She knew she'd hit a nerve by starring at him…and she seemed to be proud of it. "Got it?"

"So you saw me watching you and your new little girlfriend?" She smiled and he felt his hand flame up instantly. "Careful hothead…you do remember what my power is, don't you?"

"Marris is _not_ my girlfriend, Patricia. Unlike you, I prefer to have friends instead of flavors of the day." Patricia's blue eyes turned silver as she got angry, her hand becoming entwined with icicles as she put out his hand full of fire. "Get off of me." Concentrating on sending all of his energy towards his hand, he smirked as she jumped back in shock, holding a singed hand up.

"You just set it…you'd better watch out…you and your little girlfriend too." The blonde's eyes travelled over to Marris who was walking slowly away with Layla and Maj. "I thought you went for girls with more class and style than that, Warren."

"You don't know me, so don't bother pretending you do, Ice Queen." Her eyes flashed with a frost and she looked up at him, three copies of Penny coming up behind her as she crossed her arms.

"I know you better than _she_ does, Warren. Remember that." Warren felt his other hand tingle as he glared at her, outraged by what she was saying. It was all lies…all she'd ever wanted to do was make out and drag him around to parties. Try and show that she'd _'tamed the beast'_. But she hadn't…and no one could.

"You're wrong! She's only known me for four days and she knows me better than you ever will!"

Having enough, Warren turned around in a cloud of smoke as he stalked off to go find Marris and Will. He'd had enough of fake girls and images of jocks pushing him around…he needed to be around people that he knew were real.

……

"Hey." Will sighed as he sat down in the desk beside Warren, Marris and Layla quietly sitting down in the empty seats on Warren's other side. He'd seen him storm off to Patricia…and he'd glimpsed the smoke eroding from his body when he'd walked away. "You okay? I saw you talking to Patrici-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Warren mumbled and Will took that as a good enough answer. He'd gotten to realize that if Warren did need to talk to him about anything, he would, and that pressuring him only got him angrier. "I just…I hate how she's still trying to screw up my life when she's not part of it anymore."

"She probably heard the Marris rumors then." He replied and the hotheaded teenager turned to him, his glare brooding from his face.

"The Marris rumors?" He stiffly asked, and Will's eyes lit up in confusion. Didn't he know? It's all the school had been talking about for days. About the girl who was slowly taming Warren Peace…and stealing his heart at the same time. "What Marris rumors?"

"What?" Marris's voice came from across the room and Will looked past Warren to smile reassuringly at the girl.

"It's nothing Mare." Warren's fist fell down onto the desktop angrily and he looked up at his best friend, his smokey gray eyes alive with a deep fire. When Marris and Layla had both turned away again, he turned to Warren, making a mental note to keep it on the quieter side of tones. "You didn't hear about the rumors?"

"No. What rumors?" He asked and Will leaned in further, glancing at Marris to make sure she wasn't watching them. "What rumors Stronghold?"

"That you and Marris have something going on. Between the two of you…that revolves around something like her taming you and stealing your heart in the process."

"**WHAT**?" Warren roared, jumping up from his seat. "I swear, I will burn whoever started those to a crisp!"

"Mr. Peace! Please, take your seat!" Mr. Rockley, their Citizen Support teacher, yelled from the front of the room. They'd all taken seats in the back of class, where Warren usually sat, ergo the rest of his friends gathered around. And Will vaguely remembered a time when he had been terrified to sit at the back of the classroom…when he and Warren had been arch enemies. "And refrain from yelling."

"Whatever." Warren countered, his usual response to teachers or members of high authority. "Are you telling me that people actually are making something up between me and a girl I met four days ago?" Will swallowed hard, smiling cautiously at Warren. His fists flamed up and Will felt himself recoil back into his seat. It didn't matter that they were best friends…when Warren was angry, Will was terrified of him. "People here are so stupid sometimes it surprises me that this is a school."

"Well…she is the first person like, ever to just go and sit with you alone and not get pushed away or singed." The surly boy looked over at him and glared, keeping his head down as he stared ahead of him, focused on the black board. "Come on Warren…you have to admit it."

"If they honestly think that I let her sit down with me the first day on the bus, they've obviously never met her. She doesn't listen if you say no." Will smirked as Mr. Rockley begun their first lecture of the day…vicious enemies and their traits.

"I know…Marris does have a certain charm to her, doesn't she?" Warren burned his pencil into ash and Will shook his head, knowing his friend silently agreed with him. "It's like after one day with her, you know her inside and out. She hasn't really changed at all…her and Layla both…they're…different from other girls."

"I'll say."

And Will wasn't sure if he was meant to catch the comment Warren had made under his breath…but he knew that it meant something meaningful that only Warren could fully understand.

……

"I don't understand it!" Layla sighed, shoving her homework down onto the kitchen table. She and Marris had taken the liberty to start a homework night at the Stronghold's house on Friday night after school. Hero work was proving to get harder and harder with each task, but as they'd been told, it was not an easy job to be a hero. "Rockley gives us impossible work that would take us about a week to do in class and expects us to finish it by-"

"I'm done. Here, you can look off of mine." Marris smiled, handing Layla her three page question sheet that had turned up to be more of an essay then anything. "Just put it in your own words or…something."

**_Ding-dong_…**

"That'll be the Chinese." Will said as he sighed in relief, jumping up from his work and Marris glanced over to his paper that was only half filled.

"Will!" She moaned, rolling off of the window seat and starting to run after him. "You're barely done your homework and you need to start it now if you want the rest of the weekend off…"

She trailed off as she came face to face with Warren, who turned a bright crimson when he saw her. He looked so different then from when he was at school. His long dusty black and red hair was tied back into an untidy ponytail, and his usually miserable face was now concentrated and worn with a kind of happy tiredness. Marris smiled, feeling her own cheeks heat up as she saw him.

"Hi." He said quietly and she smiled at him, her eyes sparkling as she did. He was holding a large bag of Chinese food and Will was digging through his wallet, looking for the right amount of change while he looked back and forth from Warren to Marris, an odd twinkle in his eye.

"Hey Peace." She sighed, running her hands down the side of her rose red sweat pants. She'd changed out of her jeans when she'd gotten home, due to the fact that her lunch had mysteriously fallen on top of her lap when she'd sat down to eat. All she and Warren (who had been with her) could find was a bit of frost on the bottom of the tray and on the top of the table. She'd been confused, but Warren had sent a very fiery glance towards a blonde girl sitting with 5 different types of the same girl. Marris was just happy she hadn't gotten anything on her jacket or shirt. "Are you working or something?"

"Yeah." He muttered, handing Will the large brown paper bag. "Last shift of the night."

"Oh, really?" Will said as he held the bag in one hand, shoving his wallet into his pocket gently with the other. "You should stay here…we're actually doing a bunch of homework from Rockley's class…so you could-"

"I've got to get this payment back to Mama Yein." Warren mumbled and for some strange reason, Marris felt her heart sink. She'd wanted him to stay…and maybe even walk her home afterwards? His eyes met hers and she turned away, rubbing the back of her neck. "But I could come back after my shift's done."

"Alright! Cool…see you then man." Will grinned as he made his way back to the kitchen. Marris felt herself blush as Warren looked her over, smiling as he did.

"See you then."

……

"You have no idea how much I missed this stuff in Greece…it was all very fresh food that was homemade…and a lot of fish…"

"Warren…hey!" Layla smiled as the boy walked in, his hair down and falling in front of his face like it usually was. He hated his work uniform, but when he actually had to work…it did its job by keeping himself clean and fast. And the stoves at the Paper Lantern could get **very **hot. "Would you like some rice? Or a wonton? Or something?"

His eyes traveled to Marris who was spinning a tangle of noodles onto her chopsticks with skill. She was more like the hippie than he'd thought…

"No thanks hippie…I think I'll just stick to with some chips." Pulling the bowl of corn chips closer to him as he sat down, he glanced over at Will's homework. "Still plowing through that, huh?"

"Are you finished already?" Layla asked, blinking as her eyes went wide. He shrugged, popping a chip into his mouth. The business had been slow tonight…and then he'd gotten the order out from the Stronghold's house.

"Yeah." He shrugged, grabbing another few chips as the girls and Will began to munch down on their dinner. "And it looks like Revora is done too."

"Citizen Support is easy for me. I don't know…I just get it." She shrugged as she sipped on her glass of water, glancing over her work as she did. "Come on you guys, hurry up. I kind of wanted to watch a movie…or something…" She trailed off as a loud **swoosh** sounded from outside, the door lock clicking as two shadows swarmed outside the window.

"Oh…hello everyone!" The back door opened and the two greatest superheroes of all time walked into the room, smiling at the four kids sitting in their kitchen.

"Chinese! Delicious!" The Commander's voice boomed as he opened the fridge door, one second later coming out as Steve Stronghold, otherwise known as Will's dad. "Is there any left over?"

"Tons left Commander." Steve's eyes went wide at Layla's words, before he remembered what he'd been forgetting.

"Steve, you can't keep on forgetting your glasses like that! What if a customer came to the door and you didn't have them on?" Josie Stronghold, real estate specialist and Will's mom, had replaced Jetstream. "Hey kids. Doing homework? On a Friday night?"

"If we don't get it done now, we won't be done all weekend." Will mumbled and Josie smiled at them, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

"That's my boy."

……

Warren's eyes were locked on Marris, who's eyes had fallen to the ground. _Something_ was wrong with her. She was wringing her hands together, absentmindedly twisting the many rings on her fingers around as she remained deep in thought. Ever since Josie and Steve had appeared as mere shadows in the darkness outside…Marris had gone quite. And had lost herself in thought.

"Revora." Warren mumbled, nudging her foot with his. But she still didn't look up and the room had suddenly gotten…colder. "Marris." He nudged her foot again, lighting his foot on fire as he hit her again. And suddenly her green-gray eyes snapped up from the ground to meet his, a silvery white glaze disappearing over them as she came back to life. The room became warm again as she stood up abruptly, dropping her fork as she shook her head.

"I…I'm sorry, I've…I don't feel that good all of a sudden…" She left the room and a trail of wind followed her, everyone's eyes on her retreating back that was running up the stairs to the bathroom.

"Josie." He heard Steve mutter as Will's mom hurried to follow her.

"I know." Warren's eyes flickered to Layla and Will who had suddenly gone quiet and were eating their dinner in silence.

"I thought you hated Chinese food?" Warren bitterly shot at Will as he slid a fork full of sweet and sour chicken into his mouth. His brown eyes crinkled in a half-smile and he shrugged setting the fork down beside his plate.

"Layla got me hooked." Will said quietly. Warren looked at Layla, trying to see if he could get anything out of her, but she was just looking at the small vase of flowers, which was magically wilting as she continued to stare at it. Steve had begun to fill a plate full of food, and Warren was looking angrily around the room before he heard a sickening sound. Someone was being sick upstairs.

"Okay, that's it." He mumbled angrily, looking around at all of them before standing up. "What's going on? What's wrong with Marris?"

……

She'd come downstairs and hurriedly said goodbye to everyone, allowing Layla and Will to borrow her homework for that night. When Will began to mention the movie, she shook it off, saying she was tired and just wanted to run home and sleep. Layla had tried to get her to take some food home, but she'd shook her head, gathering her bag and jacket and walking out of the Stronghold residence. But the thing that had bothered Warren the most was that she hadn't made eye contact with him at all. If she had even looked his way, it must've been for a second when Warren had blinked, and even then…he had barely blinked at all.

He'd left shortly after Marris had, blankly nodding goodbye to all of them before taking his leave. He didn't know why, but he knew that it was the shadows that had bothered her. And if he had known, he would've shown his brightest fire towards the door to show her that it was just Will's parents…not an unmasked villain coming to attack her.

Warren was walking down the street home, not bothering to get home through flaming up and running. Walking suited his mood…and Warren always went by how he felt. Stopping, he realized he was walking down an unfamiliar street, one he knew his bus went down everyday. Turning to look at the house he'd stopped in front of, he noticed a girl sitting on the garage roof. A girl wearing a white shirt and red sweatpants. He blinked slowly as he recognized Marris's face standing out against the dark, her hair blowing gently around her face.

Without thinking twice, Warren began to make his way across the front lawn of Zack and Marris's house, stopping near the bottom of the garage. And he knew she saw him, from the look on her face, he knew she did. Her smile faltered and she sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Would you like to come up?" She asked and he smiled shrugging.

"Might be nice." Without warning, he felt something begin to lift him up off the ground and without thinking, he flamed up, burning whatever it was to crisps.

"Hey…I thought you wanted to come up?" Marris teased and he looked down to see the remains of a tree disappearing. _Earth…of course._

"Sorry." He mumbled as another tree began to lift him up, a large, thick branch holding his feet up as he grasped the tree's leaves to steady himself. Before he knew it, he was stepping onto the garage roof, her face wearing a content but troubled smile. "Okay…next time could you just send me flying up with a gust of wind…or a ladder…or an ice block or something that isn't a tree growing from underneath me."

"Trees are easier and take up less of my power." She was weak. She'd disguised that fact in a joke, but Warren could sense by the quietness and shakiness in her voice that she meant it. "What brings you here, Peace?"

He shrugged as he sat down beside her, resting his arms on his knees as he stared at her resting his chin on one of his arms.

"I was thinking too much and walking at the same time. Somehow…I ended up here."

She was resting her chin on her knees that she'd brought up to her chest, her brown hair spilling over her shoulders. She'd taken off her hat…and it looked like she had been crying.

"Here is an odd place to be." Marris replied quietly and he let a silence linger before talking.

"What was up back there? With you and Josie? You just…got up and-"

"Ran?" Now she was turned to face him, her hands holding onto her bare feet. "It's what I do, Peace. You have to know that. When a situation gets out of hand, I run."

"Two shadows by the door is an out of hand situation?" He said, a tease playing in his voice and her face went blank, her eyes dropping to the ground again. And that's when he realized he'd said something wrong…again. "Sorry."

"It's okay. If you knew about my past…" Marris trailed off, moving over and nudging him with her arm. "And if I knew about yours…" Warren smirked, nudging her back.

"You tell me, and I'll tell you."

"Ah…trying to reason with me, are you?" She let out a sigh, looking up at the stars. "I'll tell you in time. But for now, we just look."

"Look?" Warren repeated as Marris lay down on her back, looking up at the stars.

"Are you going to look with me? Or not?" Warren rolled his eyes, lying down on his back beside her. "So you aren't Mister Tough Guy after all."

"Everyone has a sensitive side." He mumbled, crossing his arms. "Mine just doesn't always shine through like yours, or hippie's, or Will's, or anyone's for that matter." He could feel her looking at him, and he turned to her, his eyebrows lifting. "What?"

"Warren Peace…you surprise me." He felt himself smile at her before they both turned back to the stars, looking up at the small, glowing dots that seemed so far away but so close.

"You are more like the hippie than I though." Marris laughed lightly and a warm gust of wind blew past them.

"Well…she _is_ my best friend after all."


	3. He Basically Just Became a Cookie!

3: "He Basically Just Became a Cookie!"

a/n: Oh my gosh, you guys rock! To all of you who reviewed so quickly…thank you so much! I'm glad to see you like this story…I'm trying to make it not seem like he falls in love with her right away…he's just confused by her. And I'm sure it's quoted somewhere that she makes him feel angry, happy, etc…I'm just creating the basics for a guy to fall. Many of you have also asked what Marris's "secret" was, and I'm not giving that away until it comes up in the chapter. Also, I recently got a review saying that nobody controls EVERY element. My response to that is…oh well. Marris is my character with that power. I mean, it can be outrageous, right? Anyway, enough of my rambling, next chapter!

……

"Did I say or do anything on Friday night that made you think stalking me was okay?"

Marris looked up and saw Warren, a smile appearing on her face as she closed her book. Layla had told her about the only Chinese restaurant in town, the Paper Lantern, the place they'd ordered their food from on Friday night. It was now Sunday night, and Marris had taken the liberty to use the delicate restaurant as a safe haven. A place to eat dinner and read a few books without getting pestered by Zack or her aunt and uncle, who had been pushing her every day after school to tell them about it.

Adjusting her (rather square) oval framed reading glasses, she smiled as Warren sat down in the booth across from her.

"I had no idea you were working tonight. Most people take Sundays off." The pyrokenetic snapped his fingers together, making a flame appear on the tip of his finger. The candle had gone out quite some time ago, and Marris, who had been too enthralled with her book to notice, hadn't bothered to re-light it. "Thanks."

"It's my job, Revora." Warren shrugged, crossing his tanned muscled arms on the table. He was staring at her with a confused intensity, as if he was trying to see into her mind and read what was wrong. For a second, a panicked thought filled her mind that his second power was the ability to read minds, but after realizing that someone would've told her by now, Marris relaxed. He was still trying to figure out what was wrong. "So…on Friday…what was-"

"I don't feel like talking about it." She said, not taking her eyes off of him. They were involved in a deep starring contest and the first person to look away would prove themself weak. Warren was getting frustrated…she could tell from the sudden heat that had filled the room.

"Why not?" Was all he could manage to stutter and Marris felt a rush of annoyance run through her. He wasn't going to leave her alone…but she didn't feel like telling him. The thought of having everyone worry about her was sickening to her stomach, and the extra thought of Warren following her around for the rest of the school year was comforting, but also annoying. They got into enough bickers as it was. Nothing but playful banter, but still…something that could rise to another thing in time. And it was bad enough with Layla as it was.

"Because. I don't feel like splattering my personal life all over the school." Marris said hotly as she gathered her things and stuffed them in her bag. _So much for a safe haven. _

"Revora, hold it." Warren growled and she continued to shuffle out of the booth, breaking into a fast walk when she could move freely. "Marris!" His hand fell down on her shoulder and she stopped, frowning as a surge of heat ran through her body. "I'm sorry. I was just…worried about you. That's all." He said the last part quietly and she shook her head, breaking free from his grasp.

"I'll see you tomorrow Warren." She mumbled as she kept on walking. Behind her, the angry voice of a Chinese woman exploded (she guessed it was Mama Yein) and the happy voice of Layla filled her ears.

"Marris! What are you doing here?" Maj was with her, and feeling rather antisocial, Marris sent them an apologetic glance. "Where are you going? Come, you can have dinner with us."

"No thanks Lay. I feel kind of hot all of a sudden…I think I'm just going to go home." She knew it was Warren's blast of heat still wandering around that was making her boil, but she couldn't face telling them about Warren. At least, for now.

"Marris!" Warren's voice yelled as she pushed open the glass door, the noise of the busy mall drowning out the delicate sounds of the Paper Lantern. Sighing sadly, Marris tugged on her jacket as she turned to walk home, knowingly only too well that she had indeed overreacted.

……

"Marris…" Layla rolled her eyes as the click of the receiver signaled that Marris had indeed hung up again. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she looked over at Maj, who was sitting cross-legged on her bed as they tried for the ninth time to call Marris. She'd left in such a hurry and Warren had been practically yelling her name when she'd walked out the door of the Paper Lantern.

"No luck?" Maj asked and Layla turned around, rolling her eyes. She'd invited Maj to stay the night…but she had a gut feeling that Marris could use a sleepover at this pint.

"I think it's time we invite ourselves over for a sleepover, Maj."

……

Marris lay on her bed, clutching a pillow to her stomach to try and make herself not feel sick. After the run in with Warren and her lash of anger at his pestering, memories had come flooding back to her and she'd gone into a relapse of her behavior after it happened. The phone had started ringing again, and to make it stop, she pressed the **TALK** button on her cordless phone before pressing it again to hang up on Layla.

Bringing the pillow up to her chin, she turned on her side and tried to close her eyes. She was so tired…but she couldn't fall asleep now that her ghosts had filled her mind. Bringing her two fingers together, she saw a bright beam of brownish green light fill her fingers before a chamomile plant grew beside her, its strong scent filling her nose and calming her down. Everything became foggy and she thought she heard her door open and close before she fell asleep.

……

"Maj, you're going to wake her up."

"I didn't mean to make such noise…" A burst of quiet giggles erupted before someone that sounded a lot like Layla started to shush someone else that sounded a lot like Maj. But she couldn't open her eyes to check.

"Shh! Shh! Maj…"

Finally, Marris let her eyes crack open to see her two best friends sitting in front of her on her bed, Maj holding an open bag of corn chips as they both smiled at her. Layla's sympathetic eyes were the first things she saw before the corn chips found their way to her face.

"See, I told you the smell of chips would wake her up." Maj grinned and Marris lazily pushed the bag away, clutching the pillow that was still there up against her chest. The chamomile flower was still lying beside her head, sending a calming smell around the room. Layla had lit some of her candles…

"Hello, sweet pea." She grinned lightly at the name Layla had always used for her. "Seeing as you wouldn't answer any of our calls, answer when she threw a rock against your window, or when we rung your doorbell, we have decided to take it upon ourselves to invite us over for a sleep over."

"So we can all go to school together tomorrow." Maj added and Marris shrugged, knowing that even though she would rather be alone…this was really what she needed.

"We ordered pizza, seeing as we doubt you've eaten supper,"

"No, Warren said she did at the Pa-"

"Maj!" Layla's voice made her smile and Marris sat up, still clutching the pillow. "We ordered pizza anyway…half vegetarian, half with everything you like on it."

"And we're paying…so all you have to do is tell us what's wrong with you and we won't make you budget in." Maj said, smiling as she ate a corn chip. "Corn chip?"

……

The next morning, the three teenage girls woke up in a pile, an empty box of pizza lying beside the bed, several flowers re-grown and spreading their scents around the room. It was a rainy day, something that hadn't been caused by Marris, but had probably been influenced by it.

"Girls!" Marris auntie and Zack's mother, Marcela, called from downstairs. "French toast is almost ready!"

"Ugh…I wish the weekend was one day longer." Maj moaned as she sat up, allowing Layla's legs to become usable again. "That way we'd get to sleep in."

"I like the mornings." Layla smiled as she woke up, shaking Marris lightly. After talking for hours with the girl, they'd stayed up until midnight eating pizza, laughing, crying, and just having a good time. "Marris, it's time to get up."

The brunette let out a loud yawn and stretched her arms out as her legs lay across Layla's lap. Eventually in time, the girls had all lay down beside each other and fallen asleep, waking up with a foot in their face or an arm covering their neck.

"Girls! Get ready and come downstairs for breakfast!" Marcela called again and Marris sat up, setting two wobbly feet down on the ground as she did.

"Okay Auntie!" She yelled turning to her two friends. "Okay guys…that means we have like…ten minutes to get ready."

……

He felt his stomach tumble as the bus opened on her stop. _Her_ stop. He'd tried calling her last night, but after she'd hung up on him, he'd gotten the message. She did not want to talk. Maj, Layla, and Zack came onto the bus and for a second, he thought she'd decided not to come today. But by the time Maj had sat down in her usual seat, she came running onto the bus, holding an orange rose in her hand.

He'd kept his back on his lap in hopes she would sit beside him…but Layla seemed to have switched seats with her as she made Will sit beside him instead of Marris. Will, who had listened to Warren over the phone after she wouldn't answer that night, sent him an apologetic glance.

"She just needs her space Warren. That's all. Don't worry about it…everything will be fine by lunch today."

But by lunch that day, Marris had said only a maximum of five words to him…which said a lot, seeing as Mad Science had been their second period class together. He'd tried to make random comments on the experiment they'd been working on, but she'd only nodded. By the time the class had let out, Marris wasn't the only one annoyed. Warren had been practically steaming.

"Third period today is Save the Citizen!" Will said with excitement as he nudged Warren later on at their table. All he received from Warren was a moody glance before his eyes traveled back to his book. And when Will had turned to Ethan, who was happily anticipating the day he might get to play Save the Citizen, he looked back to what he had been before. Marris.

_You need to talk to her, Warren. At least try to…_ He tried to look back at his book, tried to focus on the words lining the pages in front of him, but he couldn't. _Oh come on Warren…break out of your old shell for once._

"Marris." When he said her name, the whole table went quiet and she looked up at him, her green eyes perfectly clear, but slightly defensive as she stared at him in question.

"Warren." She countered and he sighed, glancing down at his book before continuing.

"You going to watch Save the Citizen today?" He asked and he saw the flicker of heads between him and Marris switch again. She smiled at him mildly and shrugged, looking down at the table. She was teasing him…and he knew it.

"Well, seeing as the whole school has to go…yes." Warren felt his cheeks heat up as he remembered that small, but important fact. Shutting his book as he got up from the table, he nodded as he shoved the book into his bag.

"Okay." He replied gruffly, not looking at any one else but her. "See you there."

……

"He's being a real sweetheart." Layla cooed and Marris laughed, nodding her head as they made their way to the gymnasium. It was true…Warren had been acting totally out of character when he'd only addressed her (though the icy, forced tone in his voice made her think that Will had suggested it) and it had surprised even her when he'd gotten up and left.

"He only cares that _you're_ going to Save the Citizen." Maj teased from beside her and this time she shook her head, smiling at the boy in stripes who was holding the door open for them. Layla was sending him an icy look and Marris wondered why.

"Layla-" She began, but suddenly something fell in front of her foot, tripping her and sending her flying forward. She let out a loud gasp and Layla and Maj did as well before she felt someone grab her waist and spin her around, holding her close to their body as they helped her to her feet again. At first she'd thought it was Warren…but when she stood back and looked up into the eyes of her rescuer, she saw that it wasn't so. "Oh…thank you."

"My pleasure." It was the boy who had held the door open for her, the one Layla and Maj had been glaring at. "I'm Lash."

Marris smiled at him kindly, sending a weird glance to Layla before turning back to Lash. He was tall and his arms were covered in black and white strips, his black vest and baggy black pants blending together almost as if in one suit.

"I'm Marris." She nodded as Layla and Maj came up angrily beside her.

"Are you okay Marris?" Layla asked, her voice carrying a bit of ice in it as she grabbed her arm, glaring at Lash.

"Yeah. Uhm, Lash caught me before I fell…thank you, so much again-"

"What are you doing out of prison, Lash?" Maj growled and Lash smirked at her venomously. Marris suddenly became quite confused. This was one of the boys who had helped take the school under siege?

"Me, Penny and Speed only had to stay one night…see, we're under age. And as for Royal Pain and Stitches…they're in there for life." Lash laughed, turning to Marris and fixing his eyes on her. "They wanted us to have a fresh start…and come back for our senior year of course."

"Well…I suppose that's…good." Marris shrugged as Layla and Maj started to pull her away.

"Yeah…good…start your fresh start somewhere else then!"

……

"He basically just became a cookie!"

Marris had slowly begun to understand why all the girls at Sky High were in love with Warren. Underneath his mysterious, tall, dark and handsome persona was an amazing and fierce competitor. He and Will had been paired up…and Warren had just fried a boy named Tom from their Citizen Support class.

"I know!" Layla responded to her as another roar of cheering began when Will flew through the air and pulled the citizen off of the trap, throwing her to Warren as he made to punch out the last villain.

"**HEROES WIN**!" Coach Boomer's voice floated loudly through the room and Marris clapped just as loudly with the rest of the girls at Warren's success. It was the last game of the night, and even though several girls were mobbing them, Marris could've sworn she'd seen Warren and Will smile up at her and Layla.

"Come on. If we go get our bags now, we can come back here to meet Warren and Will." Layla said, tugging on Marris's arm. However, the brunette just shook her head, holding up her bag and coat.

"It's alright Lay. You and Maj just go ahead…I'll wait for them in here." Marris smiled at them reassuringly, and Maj and Layla sent each other rather happy looking glances before making their way out of the gymnasium with the rest of the crowd. Marris, on the other hand, took a seat in the bleachers while she waited for Warren (and Will, of course) to come out.

……

He hadn't been paying attention to the several tens of girls surrounding him and telling him how hot he'd looked competing. He hadn't been paying attention to the several tens of guys slapping him on the back and shouting different congratulations to him. He hadn't been paying attention to Will, who was laughing at how awesome they did. He'd only been paying attention to _her_, the girl who was just smiling down at him and his partner. The girl he'd been unwillingly thinking about all night.

"Come on Warren…I can get us to the changing wall in no time." Will laughed, grabbing his arm and proceeding to drag him through the disintegrating crowd and to the changing wall. Reluctantly, he tore his eyes away from Marris, who had begun to talk to Layla and Maj. _I need to talk to her…more than just asking if she was going to a school event._

"Get out of the way!" Warren yelled over the crowd, pushing away a girl who was trying to attach herself to his arm. He wasn't in the mood to see anyone that wasn't one of his friends right now, and most of the time he was too caught up in thought to listen to any of them. "I said, get out of the way!"

His anger (much to no one's surprise) had scared the remaining 'fans' out of the way and Will glanced back at him as they continued walking, a cheesy smile plastered on his face.

"Of course, your way is much better." Warren rolled his eyes, walking up to speed with his best friend. The concept that most people couldn't grasp was why they were best friends…and he understood the confusion. They had almost torn the cafeteria apart only a few months ago in a heated battle, he'd gone to homecoming with Layla to make Will jealous, then succeeded in helping him defeat the Super Villains and save the school. The day that Warren had actually realized Will was his best friend…the seventh day in a row he'd shown up at the Paper Lantern before Warren's shift was over.

"Whatever."

……

"Waiting for someone, are we?"

At the sound of the male's voice, Marris came face to face with Lash, his brown eyes glinting in a smirk as he watched her. She'd been waiting in the stands for Will and Warren…but she hadn't known she'd been watched.

"Yeah. Uhm, Will and Warren, actually. What about you?" She was sitting alone on one of the bleachers, and had almost jumped out of her seat when she'd seen him appear in the seat beside her. It wasn't that she had a particular problem with Lash (who apparently had been one of the 'Super Villains'), but if Warren and Will both came out to see her talking to him…Lash would probably have several burns on him when all was said and done.

"You, of course." She felt herself blush lightly, the compliment being over taken by the forwardness of his actions. "Really…I mean when I caught you from falling, when we locked eyes…I really felt something."

"Something that made you what? Want to climb into my pants right away?" Marris let out a huff of a laugh, shaking her head as she stood up, turning and deciding to meet Warren and Will on the gymnasium floor. But as she made her way, a hand wrapped itself around her wrist and she turned around, expecting to see Lash, but only seeing the extension of his arm. "You're stretchy?"

"And determined." He sniggered, pulling her towards him as footsteps rang in the gym. Panic snuck up on her like a terrible grudge and she stared him in the eye, frowning. "Come on, Marris. I'm not that type of-"

"**_Lash_**!" Marris closed her eyes, an angry yell breaking the silence of the gym as it interrupted him. Her face fell in relief and slight amusement, having already seen this scene when some random guy tried to feel her up at her locker.

"I would suggest you let go of my arm now." She whispered, and Lash, almost in fear of the raging Warren, let go immediately. "Okay, now it would wise for you to probably-"

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Warren yelled, his angry stomps shaking the stands. The brunette turned as Lash continued to stare at the aggressive and very angry boy that was making his way towards him. Will, who was obviously wanting to leave as soon as he could, was waiting at the bottom of the bleachers, his arms held out as he motioned for her to jump.

"Marris!" He stammered and she threw her hands up in the air, sighing.

"You're the one that can fly, Stronghold!" Marris yelled at him, suddenly being swept off her feet as Will scooped her up in his arms, flying over to the gymnasium exit.

"Warren! Don't forget about the bus!" Will yelled behind his shoulder as they landed on the ground, grabbing Marris's hand and starting to drag her out the door. "And don't get yourself in detention again!"

……

The anger and sudden rage that had filled Warren when he watched Lash pull Marris towards him was indescribable. There was some confusion as to _why_, but the anger that was boiling inside of him had bubbled over that small fact. Right now, he needed to burn Lash. To a crisp.

"You're going to be burnt alive, scum!" He growled and Lash smiled at him, using his arms to pull himself away and out of harm, dodging the fire ball that Warren had been building up inside of him when he had first turned into the gymnasium. "Come back here coward!"

"Funny…I didn't know she was dating you, Peace. I thought you guys were just friends!" Lash laughed from across the gym and Warren threw another fireball at him, this time, the slightly large ball hitting his stretched out arm. Warren smirked in satisfaction as the villain coiled back to the bleachers, landing not so smoothly a few benches in front of him. His black eyes glinted down at Lash, frowning at him menacingly.

"Stay away from Marris." He said slowly, his voice dripping with venom before he ran towards the end of the bleachers, jumping off the top and landing on his feet with a loud thud. Now maybe, hopefully, Lash would stay away from her. For good.

……

She kept her eyes glued to the doorway. Marris, who was horrible at lying, was trying hard to ignore the fact that Warren was still not on the bus. Luckily, Will had managed to persuade Ron (who was almost willing to do anything for the Heroes of Sky High) to wait for him. He had to be coming…he would've burnt Lash to a cookie by now…but he wasn't coming through the doors…and the brunette couldn't help but feel nervous for him.

"He'll be fine, M." Layla sighed from the seat across from her, the empty seat she was saving Warren occupied by her messenger bag. "Trust me. It's Warren…he knows how to take care of himself."

"I know." Marris nodded, running a hand through her tousled hair. She didn't know why she was worried about him, really. But the fact it was on her account he was in there made her stomach churn. _That's why, Marris. It's because of that…not something else. _

"See! I told you he'd be here in a flash." Will laughed nervously from the front of the bus as Ron opened the door, the boy's hand landing on his shoulder. "Thanks for waiting."

"No problem Mr. Stronghold." The bus driver looked pleased with himself as Warren walked up the stairs when the doors closed, a deep sigh of relief coming over her as he sauntered down the isle, his eyes coming up to meet hers as he stopped in front of the empty seat.

"Can I sit here?" Marris smiled teasingly at him, grabbing her bag and setting it on the floor in front of her feet.

"Sure." She caught a glimmer of a smile as he sat down beside her, swinging his bag onto the floor in front of him as well. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Warren turned to her, and the finality in his look made her smile lightly. He'd been _protecting _her. "Lash won't be bothering you again."

Marris smiled, turning her head back to the front as he stared at her a second longer before turning back around. She felt a sudden warmth heat up in her, and when a fire glowed on her fingertips, she extinguished it immediately. She couldn't be having feelings towards Warren? She'd only met him a few weeks ago…it just didn't seem right…

_But Romeo and Juliet…everyone knows when they're in love. Almost right away. _

"Thank you, Warren." She said quietly and she felt him nudge her side gently.

"No problem Revora."


	4. Stop Running

Chapter 4: "Stop Running…It Won't Get You Anywhere, and All We'll Get is a Hurricane."

Author's Note: Wow! I'm so glad so many of you like this story! I just love the Warren/Marris pairing, and don't worry. The next few chapters are going to be intense. Tee hee!

……

A month had passed since the incident with Lash in the gymnasium, and Marris hadn't forgotten about it. Especially when he had begun to follow her around the school. Warren and Zack had gotten into a heated fight with him over it…but he'd played his innocent act and Principal Powers had (almost reluctantly) admitted that there was nothing-illegal happening if he was only showing up in the same places as her. Or staring at her what seemed like almost constantly. And when Lash had been sent to the Nurse's Office suffering from a few burns and a severe sensitivity to bright lights, Warren and Zack had been sentenced to one week in detention. And Marris had just kept on running through it all.

Running gave her an unusual high that couldn't be filled by anything else. It gave a buzz that stayed for a while and left her energized…or else left her tired and feeling drained. And Marris had a feeling it was going to be one of those nights when even running her fastest could not out run what was coming up behind her.

Her feet pounded angrily against the road as she ran, trying to erase everything that had been resurfaced the past few days. It had been harder for her to run in Greece…so she'd spent most of her time swimming instead. But the streets around their neighborhood were perfect for her late night and spur of the moment runs that came like a deep craving for some sort of food during the middle of the night. It was currently some time after ten o'clock, but she didn't care…as long as she could keep on running, she'd be fine. Eventually.

The soft guitar solo at the beginning of _Fall Away _by The Fray sounded in her ears through her IPod and she let out a sigh, blinking away a mist of tears that hit her eyes unexpectedly.

'_**You swear you recall nothing at all **_

_**That could make you come back down **_

_**You made up your mind to leave it all behind **_

_**Now you're forced to fight it out'**_

_So stupid Marris. You were so stupid to think he actually meant everything he said. _

"No." She muttered angrily, wiping at a tear as she ran faster, getting angrier at every word in her head, in the song, and the words she was muttering to herself. "He was just a boy. Why can't you get over him?"

_Because of what he did to you, Marris. No one knows what he really did to you…why you're so easily scared by things a four-year-old would be scared of. You remember everything you said you didn't. _

'_**You fall away from your past **_

_**But it's following you **_

_**You fall away from your past **_

_**But it's following you'**_

"He was…you are…forget about it Marris." She stuttered, her voice shaky as she ran faster, the air becoming icy with every step that increased in intensity. It was wrong…it had to be that wrong…

'_**You left something undone, it's now your rerun **_

_**It's the one you can't erase **_

_**You should have made it right, so you wouldn't have to fight **_

_**To put a smile back on your face'**_

_But I couldn't make it right. _She thought angrily, wiping at another tear. _It wasn't my choice to make it right…he didn't even get what he deserved…_

'_**You fall away from your past **_

_**But it's following you **_

_**You fall away'**_

_I'll run…I can beat it out…_Marris thought in a whisper, knowing that the next few lines, and the next few thoughts running through her head would prove her wrong in an instant.

'_**Something I've done that I can't outrun **_

_**Maybe you should wait maybe you should run **_

_**But there's something you've said that can't be undone'**_

"I love you." She whispered as the last line came. "That was like my death wish." She increased again, a monster wind blowing through the neighborhood behind her as she passed the many perfect houses on the street. But they weren't perfect…and neither was she. Nothing was perfect…even when you thought it was.

'_**And you fall away from your past **_

_**But It's following you'**_

She was rounding the small park that separated her neighborhood area from the darker sides of her town…a place most notorious villains were hiding, waiting for her to come and be weak. Running quicker, she decided to cut across the grassy area, knowing it would be easier on her feet.

"I can't fall…I can't fall." Marris muttered to herself, pushing herself to her last limit. A storm raged behind her and she could've sworn her music coated a cry of her name.

'_**You fall away **_

_**It's following you'**_

_I can't._

She let out a loud scream as she tripped and fell to the ground, exhausted, frustrated and just angry…with him, with herself…with her stupid mind and vulnerability. Marris let out a sob as she felt a hand touch her shoulder, the burning sensation being all too familiar to her now.

"Marris!" Warren yelled as he fell to the grass beside her, pulling the earphones out of her ears as she let out another sob. _Perfect…he can't see you like this. Not even Zack can see you like this. _"Marris!"

She knew she wasn't thinking straight when her arms found their way to his neck, pulling him down to her and close enough so she could bury her face in his shoulder as she cried, but she was more than thankful when his arms enclosed around her in a hug. They'd become incredibly close after the incident and their small fight (Marris had ended up admitting to being too sensitive. And when Warren had agreed, he'd been nursing a wax burn on his hand from the candles she'd lit in her room) had made them closer than ever. But never, ever, ever had he seen her like this. At her weakest breaking point.

"I couldn't stop…I-I couldn't stop-p running and I…I…" The confusion in the air made her want to die and she wished that everything would just stop right now. That the night it had happened would be wiped clear from her memory. That _he_ would be wiped clear from her memory. "I…I can't-t st-stop running."

"Oh Marris." Warren sighed, and vaguely she wondered why he'd been out in the small park anyway. "Stop running…it won't get you anywhere, and all we'll get is a hurricane."

If it had been another situation, she would've laughed at his remark. But instead another cold wind swept on and she continued to cry while clutching to his leather jacket like her life depended on it. Running was all she had…she couldn't stop running…everything would…everything had…caught up to her.

"But I…I…can't…"

"Yes. You can." His hands rubbed her back gently, the warmth coming from his body radiating through her in a warm glow, and when his lips pressed against her head in a soft kiss, she felt as if she would die any second now. He'd…kissed her…Warren Peace had…

But those thoughts faded away as she felt another round of tears coming on. The past month hadn't helped her at all in her muddled thoughts on Warren, and if anything, they had only increased. He'd tried to kill everyone who asked if they were dating (Layla had told her with reassurance it was only cause of the whole Patricia thing) and she'd always ended up feeling even more hopeless. As to why, she couldn't exactly see.

He let her cry as long as she needed to, his arms wrapped around her the whole time, his heat keeping the both of them warm and getting rid of the ice that was running through her veins and spreading around the world. Soon, it was just the cold air that was standing in the way of them being comfortably warm, but they both knew she could do nothing about that. The snow had melted remarkably fast after Christmas…but it was still mid May and they were getting cold blasts of wind and rain every now and then.

"Hey…Revora." She opened her eyes sleepily what seemed like hours later. They were still in the park, Warren still holding her in his arms as he gently shook her back and forth. "Wake up."

"Oh." Marris sat up, moving out of his arms and rubbing her face. She probably looked terrible, and she suddenly felt more conscious about the way she looked. _What is it about Warren that makes me feel so different?_ "I'm sorry. I just…I'm just so tired."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." His sarcastic reply made her smile dryly, and she looked around. It seemed darker than it had before…

"Oh my…Warren, how long was I asleep for?" In the dim light, she saw the shadow of his figure shrug, leaning his arms against his knees.

"I don't know. Forty-five minutes? An hour?" Her green eyes went wide and she mumbled out a moan, standing up quickly. "Marris."

"Why didn't you wake me up? Oh no…Auntie's going to be so worried about me. Ugh."

Turning, she began to make her way through the dark, not even stopping when Warren called her name, the grass rustling as he stood up.

"Where are you going?"

She turned around, sending a frustrated glance towards him as she kept on walking backwards. Where was she going? There was only one place she _could _go at the moment…_Auntie's going to be so angry with me…_

"Home!" Marris spun back around, beginning to jog when she felt his overwhelming heat sweep around her before he hit her side. "Warren, I don't need an escort."

"It's late. I'm not letting you run home by yourself in the dark when some villain could come out and kidnap you, Marris." She knew from the frost in his voice he was talking about Lash, but she just shook it off. He didn't even _live_ in this neighborhood.

"Fine." Her step reduced to a walk when she realized crying had taken away her ability to breathe like she had before. A good night's rest would eliminate that by tomorrow. The silence between them stretched, and she tried to awkwardly fill it by switching off her IPod. Most of the battery had disappeared when she'd made the mistake to leave it on, but she knew she could convince Zack to recharge it for her. "Thank you, Warren."

"Hmm?" He grunted, apparently lost in his own whirlwind of thought. "Don't mention it. You were crying…and I hate it when you cry."

She felt herself blush before shaking her head angrily, annoyed with herself for letting his words get to her mind. For the past few months she'd been trying to shake off all feelings she had for Warren. They were just friends…and that's all they ever would be. Unless…

"Still. Thank you. I…I probably would've stayed there all night if you hadn't come." In the dim light of the streetlights, she saw his face break into a smirk, his elbow nudging her arm.

"You aren't that stupid. I don't think you would've stayed there that long." He was trying to focus the spotlight off of himself…she smiled in spite of that fact, knowing he'd never admit to it…or anything else for that matter.

"I did fall asleep though, didn't I?" _Aha, let's see how you'll answer to that one, Mr. Warren Peace!_ He merely shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"It was because of the warmth…it makes people sleepy, you know." Marris smiled lightly, taking a chance and taking hold of his arm, wrapping her hand around it as they continued to walk. He didn't do anything and she knew it was because…well…that was just it. She didn't know why Warren let her do things that most other people would get scorched for doing. "Well, here we are."

Minutes had past and before she knew it, they were standing in front of her house, the lights still on and she knew her Auntie would be waiting for her in the kitchen with hot cocoa or tea on the stove. But she didn't want to leave him…for some strange reason, she wanted to stay with him. To be with him…

"Thank you, Warren. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't stepped in." Her thank you was sincere and she knew he felt it as they stopped in front of her door, facing each other. His eyes were peering into her eyes and Marris felt herself constantly glancing down to stop any awkwardness.

"No problem. I was just on my way home from work and…" He trailed off, sighing before his hand brushed her chin, tilting it upward so he could see her face. For a second she thought he was going to kiss her and a panic filled the pit of her stomach. She couldn't jump into that again…but he merely brushed his thumb against the bottom of her chin, letting his hand drop when she was looking at him. "Listen, Marris, if that ever happens again, I want you to call me, alright? I don't care if I'm working or whatever, I just-"

He paused and she could've sworn the worry in his eyes was real.

"I just want to know, okay?" She reached forward and punched his arm lightly, smiling as she nodded.

"You got it Peace. You'll be the first to know." Marris said softly, knowing that now would be the perfect time for her to leave. Yet her legs and her body didn't seem to want to open the door and move into her house and away from Warren. Instead, she found herself leaning forward into Warren, who had captured her waist with his hands and was pulling her towards him…

"Marris! Mare, is that you?" Zack's worried voice came from above her and she looked up to his bedroom window to see his head poking out of it, his hair and face glowing slightly in the darker light. "Marris! Mum and Dad have been so worried…well, Mum has, Dad just said you were running again…hey, is that Warren?"

"'Sup Glowworm?" Warren said stiffly and Zack laughed while Marris stifled hers, knowing that while Zack thought the pyrokenetic was kidding about the joke, Warren actually meant it.

"What are you guys doing together at this time of night? Man, Mum's gonna kill you-"

"I get it Zack. I'll be there in a second." Marris interrupted him, glaring at his oblivious expression. "Go back inside and tell Auntie I'm here."

His blonde head had disappeared seconds later and she laughed, looking down again.

"I'm sorry…he has a tendency to…well, come in at the worst moments." Warren sighed, letting his hands fall loosely from her waist, knowing only too well that the moment had been ruined. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Get some sleep." She smiled at his reply, wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug, surprised when he hugged her back. "We all know you need it."

"I'm glad it's that obvious." The sarcastic tone in her voice made him smile again and she felt butterflies fly again in her stomach as bent down and kissed her forehead quickly. "Goodnight Warren."

"Goodnight."


	5. We're Just Friends, Stupid

5: "We're Just Friends, Stupid."

A/N: I'm soooooo sorry that I haven't updated in what seems like years to you guys. I promise I'll try and update sooner than later.  Hope you like!

……

When Marris had assumed her aunt would be waiting in the kitchen with hot cocoa or tea waiting, she had been more than right. There were chocolate chip cookies as well. But she would've rather ran all the way upstairs and locked herself in her room than walk into that kitchen. The look on her aunt's face was more than displeasing.

Marcela was a petite woman, with ebony brown hair and celery green eyes that were captivating. Born from a Greek family, her skin was the same olive tone as Marris's mother's and her Greek looks had been what hooked her husband in the first place. She really reminded Marris of her mother. Even more so as she stood by the stove, arms crossed and mess of curls tied back in a hectic bun.

"Hi Auntie," Marris greeted quietly when she walked in from the door, walking a few steps before hitting the first kitchen door. Her eyebrows raised at this and the girl sighed before walking over and kissing her aunt quickly on the cheek.

"Don't 'Hi Auntie' me, Marris Nina Kalgaris Revora. You just broke your curfew and got home with a boy that looks as if he just hopped off a motorcycle," Marcela's Greek accent was still incredibly strong and it hinted her words with a vengeance.

"But Auntie-"

"No, Marris, don't. If you're mother was here, I don't know what she'd be thinking," Marris glared at the floor, the place that her eyes had reverted to. If her mother were here, she'd be patting her on the back and saying **"Good job! Is he any good in bed?"**If the old version of her mother was here, the version that had her dad in the picture, then she'd be agreeing with her sister and scolding Marris all the way up to her room.

"Don't you mean Nana?" She sighed, fumbling with her hands as she continued to stare at the floor. "My mother wouldn't care anymore." This comment seemed to have won over her Auntie's sympathy. Seconds later, she felt arms find themselves around her body and a sad gasp.

"I'm sorry. I should have thought before I spoke," Marcela's arm remained around her shoulders as she ushered her niece to one of the stools. The Buzzard's large kitchen was much like Will's, but it was a dull sea green and periwinkle blue. There were two large entrances, one to the dining room and the other to the main entrance/stairway. It was by far Marris's favorite room in the house. "Here…I've made some hot cocoa. We can drink that and eat cookies and talk some more about this _boy._"

……

"So you had another episode?"

Marris nodded blandly, hating that her Auntie used the word _episode_. It made her sound like a bipolar on anti-depressants or something. She knew several bipolar people…and she was certainly not one of them.

"And that's when this Warren boy you're friends with found you?"

She nodded again, taking a deep gulp of hot cocoa. Marris knew she was being too quiet for comfort on Marcela's part, but she didn't feel like talking. She just couldn't form words in her mouth. She couldn't, that is, until Zack walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah…Warren is the same dude that Marris is practically dating Mom," Zack interrupted as he lazily opened the door of the refrigerator. Anger and frustration boiled in Marris and she thrust her hand towards him in a menacing manner. A flame protruded from her palm and seconds later, Zack's yellow t-shirt sleeve was on fire. "Mom!"

"Marris, put it out! Now!" Marcela's voice was strong and demanding, and Marris knew she would be in terrible trouble if she disobeyed.

"Fine," She mumbled, thrusting her hand towards him in a more gentle fashion. A great splash of aquamarine water hit her cousin, and within a second he was drenched from head to toe. Her Auntie started laughing and Marris sent him a bitter look. "We're just friends, stupid."

"That he deserved," Marcela agreed and Marris grinned slightly in triumph. Zack stood there soaking wet, gaping at his mother who merely shrugged. "You don't ever bother a girl about a boy, Zachary. Especially a girl with powers such as your cousin."

"Shut up," Was all he could say before he made to saunter back upstairs. But the water had formed a puddle around his feet and on the tile and before Marris or Marcela could stop him, he'd taken a step and slipped. "OWW!"

"Oh don't be such a baby Zack," Marris giggled, pointing her hand towards him. A cold gust of air blew towards him, powerful enough to dry him and the floor off in one blow. The blonde boy narrowed his eyes at his cousin as he stood up, dusting himself off.

"You could have at least made that warm, Marris."

"I'm in a bad mood, Zack, in case you haven't noticed," Marris grumbled and Zack began to glow a faded red. He'd inherited the power to glow on account of his feelings in the past few months…but it still was only faint.

"It's not my fault you're a drama queen," What he mumbled was barely audible, but it was enough to send Marris flying. She stood up angrily, forgetting about her hot cocoa as glared at her cousin. How dare he say that? Especially after…

"Zack! You know better than to say something as stupid as tha-" Marcela started sternly, but Marris interrupted her.

"It's alright, Auntie. Zack never thinks before he speaks. It's just something you have to get used to," She said bitterly. This night was just getting increasingly worse by the second. "And I guess I just have too much drama in my life for his taste."

Whirling around, Marris strode out of the kitchen, smoke rising from her body as she did. And slowly, but surely, outside it began to rain.

……

"He's just an insensitive glow bug, M. I would not care about one thing he says."

Layla's voice was unusually comforting over the phone, and Marris thought about the happiness that came out of her at all times. Even when she was talking over the phone at quarter-to-twelve to her upset best friend. Most people would get angry and slam the phone back onto the receiver, complaining about being woken up. But not Layla. Even when she answered the phone, sleepiness apparent in her voice, she was happy to hear Marris's angry voice over the phone.

"What if he's right?" She whispered, hugging the pillow that she'd grabbed when she'd fallen onto her bed closer to her body. "What if I am just being a drama queen?"

"Marris," Layla's voice suddenly sounded stern and slightly commanding over the phone, but she knew it was only because she hated to hear her friend so upset. "You weren't being a drama queen. And even if you were, you have every right to after what you went through!"

"But it wasn't Zack's fault," Marris sighed into the phone, clutching it in her hands and pressing it against her ear. "He didn't deserve to get the whiplash of my relapse," A silence passed over the two of them and she bit her lip patiently. "Layla?"

"You really confuse me, Marris," Layla's statement confused her more than anything, but Marris kept that comment to herself. She wasn't in the mood to be sarcastic. "You have every single reason to be upset, yet you choose to be-"

"Content?" She finished for her friend, and she smiled lightly as she heard Layla sigh over the phone.

"Yes. Content is the perfect word," The redhead admitted, and Marris took her turn to sigh. Yes, she _did_ have every reason to be upset, but why let it ruin her life in the moment? "I admire you, Mare."

"Thanks Lay," She sighed, closing her eyes and glancing outside her window. The dark night sky was slowing dripping into the outside world, coating everything with a light shade of darkness. It really was quite calming.

"Marris?" Layla's voice was full of question, and the brunette sighed. "You don't…like Warren, do you?"

"What?" She exclaimed, actually sitting up in her spot. She had thought that her confused feelings had been veiled beneath her usual flirty self…apparently not. "Wh-why would you think that?" The conversations she had with Layla over the telephone were so apparent, she felt as if she was sitting with her best friend in one of their rooms. Marris could almost see Layla roll her eyes and then stare straight into hers.

"Don't do that to me, Marris Revora! I'm your best friend…I'm not exactly _stupid_," Layla scolded. "I see what goes on between the two of you…and I have a feeling that Warren is doing more than just warming up to you."

"You know, I'm really close to hanging up on you Lay," Marris teased, shaking her head. As much as she wanted to think Layla was wrong, she knew in her head that her best friend was right.

"Oh come on Marris, you know I'm right,"

"It doesn't mean I have to agree with you," Layla's laugh was cheerful, and it made Marris smile lightly. "Honestly, I don't think he's even interested in me."

"So you do have something for him then?" Her reply was quick, and Marris shook her head before sighing into the receiver.

"Goodnight hun."

……

"Zack?"

He frowned, slamming the refrigerator door with a slightly loud bang. He was standing in the kitchen, holding a bowl full of milky cereal in his hands. He'd barely gotten any sleep last night…it had all been too much. Last night he and Marris had gotten into an argument. And that had never happened before. It also didn't help that his girlfriend and his cousin were pretty tight. So when he'd phoned her to complain about it, she'd also gotten angry at him for something Marris had overreacted at…hence, Zack was still angry about the whole thing. He had only been proving his point and she had to go and be all dramatic about it. Even if she _had_ been the helpless victim on the other end.

"Zack…" The blonde boy had turned around by now, only sending a semi glare to his cousin before slouching over to one of the kitchen stools. It was a slightly cloudy morning, and he doubted it had nothing to do with Marris. It had started to pour seconds after she'd stormed up to her room the night before. "How dare you ignore me when I'm trying to apologize for being a world-class jerk to you."

The dry humor in her voice made him smile slightly, but he tried not to let it show. He was trying to be angry at his cousin…and her being ridiculously herself was not making it any better.

"Okay," The scrape of the stool legs against the tile of his kitchen floor made him cringe and he stuck a spoonful of milky Corn Pops into his mouth. He knew he was glowing a slight shade of red…but it only made him slightly more proud that he could finally have a power that meant something to him. And to everyone else around him. "I'm sorry for being so moody last night…but if you hadn't been acting the way you had been, I would not have totally went Lindsay Lohan on you."

He couldn't help but laugh at the last comment, and Zack almost made himself choke on the spoon he'd stuck in his mouth at the wrong time. When he'd finally gotten over that episode and smirked at the light giggling coming from his cousin, he shook his head and sighed.

"Why do you have to be so damn cute?" He laughed, shifting over to nudge her lightly. The sun immediately peaked through the window, the open sheer white blinds allowing it to be crystal clear. His blue eyes traveled over to eye his cousin, a smirk playing on his face.

"So we're good?" She asked hopefully, her face breaking into a hopefully grin. Zack took a moment to observe his cousin before replying, a thought happening on him. She was certainly not the little girl he'd grown up with anymore. She had evened out, her quizzically coloured chocolate brown hair turning slightly curly as it fell to just the right length. It was exaggerated today, her stark white sweater doing that to her. Her skin was a creamy, but warm glow of golden milk honey, and her eyes were just every bit astonishing as they always had been. But what really got Zack was the fact that his cousin had become rather beautiful in an ordinary way. No wonder Warren was suddenly following her around like a lost puppy.

"Yeah…we're good," He would definitely be keeping a watchful eye over her from now on.


	6. Them?

Chapter 6: "Them? They're Just a Bunch of Wannabe Barbies"

A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews everyone! You guys rock…and I'm so glad you like this story! Tee hee…

……

"Alright class…let's get seated. We've got a lot of work to do today! Yes, Breeman…work…w-o-r-k. Something you aren't accustom to doing,"

Marris felt herself smile as she tugged her large Mad Science text book out of her bag, listening to Medulla scold yet another student. The teacher seemed to have a rotating schedule…whoever worked the worst the week before was the new target for the present week. Luckily, she had never been on that rotating schedule.

Warren and Will, however, had. She glanced beside her at the empty lab seat and felt her smile turn into a frown. Warren had not be sitting in his seat reading like he usually was when she walked into the Mad Science Lab. In fact, she'd looked up from her seat in Citizen Support to see that he had magically disappeared half way through the period. And now, she was only waiting for the moment Layla came to say, "Warren isn't real. He's just an illusion we've been tormenting you with for the past few months."

"Okay…first off…let us take the attendance of your class, so I can mark down the nimwids who are thinking they can get away from this class without being noticed," Medulla was known to be creepy, and rather odd, but Marris had never thought he would be so blunt. Or so utterly disturbing and amusing. Marris wasn't even sure she'd heard the word _nimwids_ before. "Peter Argel…here….Tetiana Ashcroft…here…Jay-"

Medulla had barely muttered Jayce Byron's name when the classroom door flew open and a disgruntled looking Warren stood in the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face. He looked angry, but Marris perked up just at the sight of him. Her face broke into a grin and Medulla let out an annoyed sigh.

"Mr. Peace…I was so hoping to hunt you down as a boycotting student…oh well," Medulla's monotone voice droned, and Warren's gray eyes rolled in his head, his disgruntled expression growing as he sat down beside her. Putting her best smile forward, she waited for him to turn and look at her as if to say _"Wow, Medulla really annoys the hell out of me."_ Medulla rattled on with the attendance and Warren's eyes stayed straight ahead.

_What?_ Marris thought, the corners of her lips turning down. She waited a beat for him to even glance over at her, but it never came. Retracing her thoughts, she couldn't think of anything she'd done to Warren lately that would make him be consequently angry or annoyed with her. _Come on Warren…just glare my way and I'll be fine._ But he didn't…even when Medulla began the lesson.

"Alright students," Their overly large headed teacher began. "Today we're going to talk about the elements used in some of the greatest weapons of all time. And yes…it's going to be really _spooky_."

……

"Warren!" He moaned as he pushed his way through the crowd, shoving a kid out of his path. Second period was always long, but the fact that Marris had been burning holes into his head most of the lesson made it even more painful for him to sit through. "Warren, slow down, I'm not exactly the Incredible Flash - "

"Yeah, but I bet you'd like to be, wouldn't you?" He hadn't thought before he lashed out at her, whirling around and glaring at her. He hadn't thought about what she'd done to Zack the last time they'd gotten into one of their fights. He hadn't thought about the fact that it was Marris Revora following him and not Layla. Her eyes narrowed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" They were caught in the middle of the hallway, and people were darting in between the space that was standing between them. People who were sending suspicious glances his way. "Did you not hear what I said, Peace?"

"Yes," He growled, pushing past another kid to grab her shoulder. "We can't talk here, Marris," She was digging her heels into the ground, something he could tell was happening from the strength he was using to push her into the crowd of people coming their way. "If you don't stop digging your heels into the ground, you won't find out."

"Why don't you just tell me now?" Marris moaned, a slightly bitter tone in her voice as she finally stopped rebelling against his guidance. "Fine, alright? Fine. Just let go of me," He did as she asked, his eyes instantly darting away as she turned around to glance at him. "Thank you."

"In here," Those eyes had gotten wider and she blinked blankly. "What?"

"Do you honestly think that people won't suspect us of making out the second we-" Letting out a low growl, Warren reached forward and opened the door to the janitor's closet, shoving her in before walking in himself. It was small and smelt entirely of cleaning products, dust, and old mops. Yet it was the perfect place for a private conversation…and, unfortunately, also for a make out session. He just hoped people would have enough common sense to choose the right answer. Not that he wouldn't like to… "Warren!"

"Huh?" His thoughts had gotten in the way again, and he could tell from the heat coming off of her that she was getting angrier. "Sorry…what?"

"What…you say what? For goodness sake! If you're going to drag me into the janitor's closet without reason you could at least listen to me!" There hadn't been a lot of light in the closet…until she'd begun to glow. A small string dangled in front of his face and he quickly reached up to pull on it, the light bulb flashing on. "What do you want?"

"Are…" He trailed off, his tongue suddenly failing, and his throat drying up. The very thought of it made him angry to think of it, and Warren could still see the fake blonde hair floating in front of him. Her green-gray eyes flared in front of him and he let out a sigh.

"Warren, I honestly - "

"Are you going out with Lash?" It had been building up inside of him, and just by looking at her he couldn't bear to not know anymore. Her earthy face became shocked, and her mouth dropped open, her eyes widening hugely.

"What?" He rolled his eyes, letting out a frustrated groan. "No, I…Why would you think that!"

"Patricia said something, and I thought she was just being her bitchy, rumor-mill self until I thought about that day I'd walked in on you and Lash in the gym after Save the Citizen," Warren said, his voice coming out all in one breath. He'd never spoken with such urgency before, or with such a defensive portrait of anything in his mind. And all that was flashing in him mind right now he hoped had never happened…the hand around her waist, the inches that had been separating their lips, the way he'd closed his eyes preparing for the guaranteed bliss that would come, and the closeness they'd had. But the feeling that he still hadn't shook was that longing to be there instead of Lash. That scum who didn't deserve to be anywhere near Marris…the girl who wouldn't settle for just anything or anyone.

"And you believed her?" Marris said, her voice filled with strange venom. "You believed her and all her minions?" The minions comment caused him to chuckle, but it barely lasted a second. "Warren!"

"They all said they'd seen you leave the school together holding hands!" He growled, and she raised herself up to full height. Even though she was a head shorter than he was, the look in her eyes still made him feel like she was sizing him up, and he hated that feeling with a burning passion.

"You believed them? Them? They're just a bunch of wannabe Barbies!" Marris retorted, her eyes narrowing at him as his fists began to smoke. "Why would you believe her? Your ex of all people?"

"Because I saw the way he looks at you! I saw the way he was holding you, the way he leant towards you!" Warren shouted, his fists clenched at his sides as sparks flew from his hands. He couldn't take it anymore…it wasn't that it was Lash. That was only part of it. His eyes went from angry to angrier as he stared at Marris, the sadness inside of him equaling out to anger. Marris and her brown hair that shone millions of colours all at once…Marris and the way that she could make you feel ten different emotions at once when it all was actually one emotion. Marris and the way that she loved freely but secluded herself enough so that she wouldn't get hurt. Marris and the way that she was just herself…her ordinarily wonderfully stubborn self. The part that always got him angrier with any other boy who so much as looked at her. The part that he wanted to be the only one who touched her, the only one who held her like that…the only one to come even that close to kissing her.

"And why would you even care about the way he looks at me, or acts around me…or any boy for that matter," She hissed, her voice low and angry. "Why would you care about what goes on in my life or who's involved with me?" The image of her and Lash looking as if they were stuck in a moment full of simple want and love had become stuck in his own head, and he wanted more than anything to ignore the fact that she was only standing a foot away from him. He wanted her…wanted her more than anything he'd ever wanted in his life. "Why Warren!" His hands had flared up, rivaling hers and he could feel a fire burning deep within in him and flooding through his veins. "Warren!"

He grabbed her waist and shoved her backwards, his hands still firmly and strong grasping her waist while he held her up against the shelves. The look in her eyes had traced fear for a moment, but it had only turned to anger after she'd collided with the wall. His nose brushed against hers and Warren wrapped one of his arms around her waist, the other one landing on her shoulder and beginning to trace up and down.

"Because I want this," He said quietly before pressing his lips against hers, the burning sensation tingling both of them. Warren pressed his lips harder against hers, wanting every inch of her, the desperation and want to be close to her driving him insane. Patricia had never been this way with him, and kissing her had never felt this…real before. It had always just felt like a past time between periods. His grip tightened on her waist and it took him a moment to realize she was kissing him too. Warren's hand flew up to her neck and pulled her closer, the warmth rushing through his body surging and burning like nothing he'd ever felt before. And suddenly, she pulled away. "Marris," He gasped through breaths, his hand running up and through her hair as he rested his forehead against hers. "Marris…"

"I've…Warren…" She sputtered, and his eyes went stony when she began to push him away from her. "I can't do this…not now…"

"What?" He was confused and as she tried to walk away, he grabbed her hand quickly. "Marris, I thought…you didn't want…"

"I never said that," She whispered, and her eyes filled with an unrecognizable sadness before she let go of his hand and walked quickly out of the janitor's closet, leaving Warren standing there confused.

…….

"You kissed her?"

"Uh-huh."

"You kissed Marris Revora?" Warren let out a disgruntled sigh and sent a glare towards Will.

"Well, I don't really know…does she have an evil twin?" Will's sheepish smile from across the table at the Paper Lantern made his glare increase in intensity, and he quickly shrugged. "Yes, Will, Marris Revora, glow worm's cousin, the one and only Marris Revora."

"Dude…I didn't know you liked her - "

"Well, I do, okay?" He snapped, interrupting Will. The rest of the day had been hell for him. He hadn't been able to pay attention in class, and all he'd done is stare holes into Marris's turned head. She'd barely looked at him and was staring out the bus window on the ride home. The fact that she wouldn't look at him, or even send him a quick glance was eating him up inside. For the first time in his life he felt like he really cared about a girl…and she was giving him mixed emotions. And to top it all off, he'd gotten called in for a shift the second he'd stepped in the door at home. "She obviously doesn't like me."

A silenced past between them, and Warren kept his eyes firmly shut before Will spoke up again.

"No…Marris likes you, Warren," He sighed, and Warren's eyes quickly snapped to him. He was rubbing his eyes and suddenly looked stressed. As if he was burdened with a huge secret that weighed the weight of the world. "She just…Marris has issues in that area."

"What issues?" He said and his best friend turned to him, sighing sadly. Secrets had always been kept with Warren Peace…and he wasn't intent on spreading her personal and possibly hurtful past all over the school. She just didn't understand that. "What issues Stronghold."

"I can't tell you, Warren. She'll tell you when she'd ready," Will mumbled after a considerable amount of silence. "Marris…she's like a puzzle. You just have to find the missing pieces and you pretty much have her figured out. The problem is, she's damn stubborn…and she won't let the pieces fit unless you sand them up a bit. Only then can the whole puzzle that is Marris come together."

Warren's smoke black eyes were glinting with a dull and confused look, and Will gasped in frustration.

"Look, the point is, Marris isn't going to let you in unless you force your way in there. Which isn't going to be easy seeing as she's got the head of a ram. So you have to lighten up a bit…"

"And I thought expressing my feelings towards her was lightening up," Warren grumbled, and Will kicked his leg from underneath the booth table. "What?"

"Sticking your tongue down her throat is not lightening up. Especially to Marris," Will replied. "I mean, has she not told you she doesn't want some guy who will stick his tongue down her throat at the opportune moment and then leave her the next day." Warren opened his mouth to speak, but Will shushed him again. "She also doesn't like it when people ignore her for no reason whatsoever." Letting out a sigh, Warren slide out of the booth, flipping the rag he'd been toying with over his shoulder.

"I'll need to work on that bit."

……

"He kissed you?" And far away from The Paper Lantern, Layla and Marris were watering plants in Marcela's greenhouse. The backyard had always been somewhat of a haven for Marris. Dusk seemed more than ever the perfect time to water the several plants growing in it. Layla paused from using her sprayer to stare in shock at Marris. She was across from her, misting plants with a wave of her hand. Unfortunately, she didn't work well under pressure. She'd already set two plants on fire by accident, and when she tried to put them out, she ended up blowing it out and ruining the ashes.

"Yes."

"Warren Peace? The Warren Peace that we hang out with at school?"

"Yes."

"The one who won't let anyone but us go near him, the one who we eat lunch with?"

"Yes, Layla, how many times do I have to tell you? I don't exactly know any other Warren Peace that goes to Sky High, and unless it was an imposter or an evil twin, I technically made out with him in the janitor's closet this afternoon." Layla's mouth hung open as Marris finished misting a plant, carefully avoiding any green life as a spurt of fire flew from her hand. The redhead moved from the opposite side of the table to face her friend, misting a few more smiling flowers as she did.

"You've got to be kidding me," Layla laughed, and Marris glared at her in frustration. Had she not said it seriously enough the first time? Maybe her constant sarcastic tone had been there when she'd said it? It didn't matter though, for she knew Layla wasn't finished. "You made out with Warren Peace."

"Shh!" Marris gasped, her green-gray eyes going wide. If Zack, or even her Auntie overheard, she'd have more than enough explaining to do. She also wasn't so keen on Zack getting seriously injured in a fight with Warren over her.

"Oh right. Secret," Layla's crinkled brown eyes sparkled as she moved around to lean on the table beside Marris. Obviously, she was a lot more excited about the whole ordeal than Marris really was. "So?"

"So, what?"

"Are you guys dating now or anything?"

"Layla, please…"

"I was just wondering…I mean, this technically would be the first guy you'd be with since…" Layla trailed off and they both fell into a lingering silence. Marris sighed lightly and nodded, playing with a ring on her hand as she thought.

"Yeah." Layla shifted slightly, but Marris kept her eyes staring straight ahead.

"Did you think about that?" The brunette let out a sarcastic laugh, turning her head to face Layla and tilting it slightly. Of course she'd thought about it. It had been the first thing she'd thought about when Warren's burning hot lips had touched hers. But somehow, it hadn't reached her deep this time. Warren had filled her with tingling warmth. Burning sensations that she could still feel running through her veins. "And?"

"And…we'll just wait to see what happens."


	7. You Might as Well Have

Chapter 7: "You Might as Well Have Signed Our Names Down"

a/n: So I haven't updated since the Middle Ages, and you guys are probably trying to hunt me down so you can start an angry mob at my doorstep while demanding the next chapter. Especially since Warren and Marris **_finally_** kissed. So, seeing as I love you so much, here is the next installment of the lovely story…hint, hint…Marris' secret is about to be revealed! Also, the song lyrics for **Don't Wait** by **Dashboard Confessional **are featured in this chapter. Don't ask me why I thought it would fit…I just thought it would…. And so, the show begins!

……

She was sitting there, reading, her eyes stuck on the book in front of her. Warren watched her from only several seats down, his smoky eyes turned away from the autobiography he was supposed to be reading. Her hair was shimmering the four colours it always did, and she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she read. Warren shifted in his seat. What exactly was so interesting about the biography of some eighties superhero called Whirlwind? The first page had already slipped past his grip, and he'd turned to stare holes at the back of her head. Just when he was convinced he had her pinned, she'd do something to throw him off his track.

Two days had passed since he'd dragged her in that closet with completely different intentions then what had happened. The incident seemed as if it had never happened by the way that she was acting. She'd walked onto the bus the next school morning, smiling and happy, and had even handed him a tiger lily that she'd grown while chirping "Good morning Peace" and sliding into the seat next to him. Of course, he'd stuttered a hello and managed to remain confused as she began to chatter about something that she and Layla had done. The chattering that Warren found so annoying, yet he put up with every day. This behavior had continued throughout that day and the next, and Warren had found his speech declining generally by the seconds he spent in her company. If speechlessness was ever an illness, then he knew that he had most certainly caught it. And he wasn't sure when he would get over it.

"Warren…Warren," Layla was at his side suddenly and he looked up at her from the back of Marris' head. Her brown eyes were crinkled in a smile, and she nudged him gently. "The bell just rang."

"Oh," He mumbled, feeling his cheeks turn red as he stumbled to collect his things. "Right." Layla looked at him expectantly, her grin growing wider by the second. That grin that he was beginning to hate more and more. "What?"

"Nothing," She giggled, turning to walk across the classroom. Warren followed her, looking over the back of Layla's head for Marris. He saw the white skirt she was wearing disappear behind the doorway, the light blue jean of her jacket sleeve swinging past it as well. She'd gone ahead of him with Will already. "Are you excited for Save the Citizen?"

"Huh?" Warren's eyes snapped back to the parted back of Layla's head, her long golden strawberry hair falling in pigtails on either side of her head. "Save the Citizen? When was that again?"

"Second period," His eyes went wide and he cursed under his breath. The tournament was today…he'd completely forgotten about it. "Don't you remember? It was all Will talked to you about on the bus this morning."

"Oh, right," He mumbled again, finally escaping the classroom as he followed Layla out of the door. The blended into the crowds of people walking down the hallway almost immediately, his hands shoved into his pocket and his bag slung across his back. The bus this morning…he hadn't been paying attention to Will, or anything other than the thing that was still on his mind. "It's the tournament."

"Yes, it is," Layla grinned. "I'm pretty sure you and Will are going to be playing…and Marris and I." Warren stopped in his tracks as Layla kept on walking, turning around after a beat to grin at him. "What?"

"You and Marris are going in Save the Citizen," He repeated dully, and she nodded. "How?"

"Well, for the tournament, you got to sign yourself up in teams, and Coach Boomer was going to choose who you'd play against…" She trailed off at his expression and let out a laugh. "Gosh, Warren, you're acting like we're two little toddlers going to swim in the deep end at the pool or something."

"You pretty much are hippie," Warren grumbled, and she turned around to keep on walking. "Layla, you and Marris could get paired with two of the most evil potential super villains in this school! What if you get hurt?"

"May I remind you that Marris and I both have had our powers longer than you or Will, Warren," Layla retorted smartly. "We have just as much capability as you to win this thing." They'd reached her locker by now, and the sweet smell of honeysuckle lit the air around them.

"I thought that you didn't believe in all that hero, villain, labeling stuff. Using your powers unless the situation demands it," Warren sighed. If anything, he knew that both Layla and Marris were capable of defeating anyone they were put up against. Yet the fact that they could be up against the likes of Lash made him uncomfortable. He'd have to roast Boomer if anyone ended up hurting either one of the girls.

"Yes, but Will's been telling me and Marris to try it. He says it's great experience for future villain fighting," Layla grinned, tossing her blue and white gym wear over her shoulder. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah…my stuff's in Will's locker, so he'll probably just grab it for me," He replied, nodding towards the gym. "Let's go."

……

"I still can't believe you and Layla are participating in Safe the Citizen," Marris rolled her eyes at Will's laugh, leaning against the locker beside Will's while she waited for him. "Do you think I should grab Warren's stuff? He hasn't come to get it yet."

"Yeah, take it," She nodded, pushing off the locker behind her as Will shut his own with a loud _smack_. "And I don't see why you're taking it as such a shock. It was pretty much your own idea in the first place that we compete."

"No it wasn't," Will brushed off, continuing down the almost empty hallway with her. Most of the students were probably in the change rooms still, getting ready as they prayed not to be chosen by Boomer to compete against anyone especially ferocious.

"Honestly, you two are both powerful enough to beat even me and Warren," Marris mimicked, lowering her voice to match one of his vocal range. "Really Will, you might as well have signed our names down. Especially after you used the excuse "It's really good training for the future.""

"Well it is!" Will argued as they rounded the corner to the gym. Marris' heart had moved up into her throat and her ears, making it almost impossible for her to breath lightly. What if they didn't end up participating? Or what if they ended up being the villains? "You nervous?"

"Of course," Marris stuttered, and Will set a strong arm across her shoulders. His build was small and completely masked the incredible super strength he'd inherited from his dad. When she'd gotten home once from Greece, the hug she'd received from him had almost killed her. "Promise if we're up against you and Peace that you won't kill us?"

"Of course."

……

The gymnasium was getting fuller and fuller by the minute. It had been turned into a huge stadium for the occasion, with a special section for teachers built in near the end. Layla sent a nervous glance towards the battle arena before looking over at Marris. She was absentmindedly staring around the crowd as well, rubbing her hands together. Layla smiled as she noticed the vines and small flowers swirling around her fingers, large droplets of water decorating them. Funnily, she and Marris were alike enough to be not alike.

"Hey," Layla grinned, nudging her arm lightly. Marris looked up and the flowers disappeared quickly from her hands, a nervous grin replacing them on her face. "We'll be great."

"I know Lay," She sighed. Marris had left her hair down for this one, and her oddly coloured eyes were smoky as they usually were. "I'm just worried about who we're up against. Why don't we have any psychics at this school?"

"We do, they're just the harder group to get to…afraid of human contact and everything when they can see how you're going to die…or make a fool of yourself," The slight joke hit home and Marris let out a giggle. Layla would never admit to being worried about who they would be up against, but she was in her own mind. Her eyes scanned the crowd again for Warren and Will, or for Maj, Zack, and Ethan, but they came up with a blank. All the faces staring back at her weren't very friendly or familiar, and she didn't feel in the mood to talk to someone new. "Marris, do you know where Will and Warren went off to?"

"Will was by the changing wall when I left him, and I could have sworn I saw Warren somewhere too. That could have just been Billy changing forms again though," Marris replied, though her voice seemed distracted. Layla knew that she was partially scared of what would happen to them in the battle. After all, her father had died mysteriously in one himself. Yet Marris was tough, and she knew the two of them would make a tough competition…especially if Marris got annoyed. "Oh, there they are. Warren! Will!"

The noise in the gymnasium was almost too loud for Marris to yell through, but Warren looked up the second after she'd shouted his name. Layla waved him over and through the crowds of people still filling into seats, they finally showed up at their bleacher and the spots they'd saved for them.

"There you two are. Do you know how many people wanted these seats?" Marris scolded playfully, and they all shared a smile. Warren shuffled over to sit beside Marris while Will gladly took the seat beside her, placing a kiss on her cheek. The amount of puppy love going on between the two of them had been almost unbearable for their friends, but Layla couldn't love it anymore than she already did. Whoever had said teenagers were too young to be in love had obviously never seen the effects of teenage romance.

"Ah, but you probably warded them all off with your awesome super powers," Will grinned, leaning forward to smile at Marris. Layla grinned and nodded, crossing her legs and keeping her eyes on her boyfriend.

"Of course we did…. What else would we have used to keep those two boys away from us?" Warren's knuckles cracked at this and Layla saw Will's face stiffen out of the corner of his eye. It was almost too cute how protective they'd become, especially since Marris had entered the Sky High building. "Woah, cool off, I was just kidding you guys."

"Right. Of course." A loud bell sounded after Warren had mumbled a reply, and Coach Boomer stood up from his lifeguard-like chair. Layla's stomach did a few flip-flops and before she knew it, the first two names had been called up.

……

Warren and Will were the winners of the third round. Marris had let out a sigh of relief when Boomer had yelled out another pair of competitors instead of Marris Revora and Layla Williams to head it up against Warren Peace and Will Stronghold. They had played an incredible battle, and if anything, they'd only gotten better and more coordinated since the first time she'd seen them compete. The fourth round was starting, and Marris had a strange feeling that they would be suddenly called from the list of names. She'd always had an incredibly strong intuition, especially after she'd first gotten her powers. The day her dad had left home to fight off that huge storm in Greece… The day her mother had sent her to live back in America with her aunt and uncle… And the days when she and Zack would fight about something stupid always came into her mind as an impression before hitting home. Boomer stood up in his seat just as Warren and Will got back to theirs.

"Great battle Peace," Marris whispered to Warren as he sat down beside her. That kiss had been awkward…but everything she'd expected kissing Warren Peace to be like. The passion that had flowed from him still confused her, but when he'd moved to sit beside her instead of by Will, she had understood it a bit more. He really liked her and was trying to make amends for a kiss he thought she never wanted. But he didn't know that she really had wanted it.

"Thanks," He mumbled, but she could have sworn a smile had appeared on his lips. Marris opened her mouth to comment on some great technique he had used, or how awesome he was when he torched the villain, but before she knew it she heard her name being shouted loudly from somewhere in the stadium.

"_**The heroes for this round are MARRIS REVORA AND LAYLA WILLIAMS!**_" Goosebumps ran up her arm as Coach Boomer's voice echoed in the large gymnasium, and scattered applause went up around the audience. Her stomach gave a violent twist. She wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to use her powers that extremely on another person. But almost lifelessly she got to her feet as Layla did, Layla's hand grabbing hers and dragging her away from Warren and Will. Warren! Will! They could most certainly get her out of this mess. Marris tried to drag her feet, but they seemed to have a mind of their own. They kept on walking uncertainly towards the stadium while her head remained turned and glued on the two boys watching her and Layla walk away.

"Marris, come on!" Layla muttered and Marris finally tore her eyes away from Warren and Will. Zack and Maj and Ethan! They had to be somewhere….maybe one of them could get her out of this?

"Layla, I'm not ready," She mumbled under her breath, and Layla's hand squeezed her own tightly.

_The sky glows_

_I see it shining when my eyes close_

_I hear your warnings but we both know_

_I'm gonna look at it again_

"You think I am either? The last time I used my powers on someone was at the Homecoming dance! And that was on all seven forms of Penny Multy!" Her friend's nervousness seemed to calm her down. Marris could feel the water running through her veins calm her down. Her mind wanted to be back in the seat beside Warren, but her body violently wanted to be down here.

"**_The villains for this round are LASH STRETCH AND TYRANT WHITE!_**" Boomer's voice rang out in her ears as Marris let Layla drag her over to the changing wall. Lash? She was up against Lash and his airwave-blasting buddy? She felt her stomach twist violently again. Could this match get any worse?

"Uh, I hate these suits," Layla mumbled as she let go of Marris' hand. She almost fell over at the gesture. It seemed to be the only thing holding her up. Seconds later, Layla appeared on the other side of he secluded wall wearing a green battle suit, large, bulky bits of protective black and gray armor sticking out in the right places that needed protection. "Well come on then? We might as well get this over with."

Marris new her stare was worried, and to her surprise, Layla broke into a smile. She held out her hand from the other side of the wall, her pigtailed hair making her look like she was oddly placed in a robot suit.

_Don't wait, Don't wait_

_The road is now a sudden sea_

_And suddenly, you're deep enough_

_To lay your armor down_

_To lay your armor down_

_To lay your armor down_

"Come on."

……

"Of all people, it has to be _him_," Warren cracked his knuckles again. He was going to fry Boomer the next chance he got. Of all the people to put Marris and Layla with, it had to be Lash and his new best friend? Will sent him an apologetic look which turned into a frustrated expression in less than two seconds.

"You think I feel much better about having my girlfriend down there?" Will countered, running a hand through his hair. Warren only could glare at him, knowing he was only telling the truth…to some extent. Layla didn't have the same history with Lash as Marris did. "Okay, look. They'll beat them hands down. And nothing bad will happen…and we'll all go home happy."

_You get one look_

_I'll show you something that the knife took._

_A bit to early for my own good_

_Now let's not speak of it again_

Warren stared stony faced straight ahead of him, not paying attention to anything else but the two small figures awkwardly, yet confidently, making their way into the stadium. Marris was flexing her hands and closing her eyes. If he could take her place, he willingly would. Even if just for the most dangerous second.

……

"The battle's starting soon," Layla said shakily from beside Marris. She nodded silently, continuing to stare straight ahead of her. Layla took another deep breath. "I think it would be better if we waited for them to attack first, and then just go loose. We'll know when to Save the Citizen, so don't worry about that. Just worry about defeating the enemy first. Okay?"

"Sounds good," Marris sighed, flexing her hands again. Most things would come out of her hands, or at least flow in that direction. Wind and earth came from somewhere that wasn't her body, but fire, water, and ice, three of her most valuable weapons, came from her hands. She rolled her neck. Relaxing had never been one of her traits unless there were several scented candles and some calming plants around her. "Layla?"

"Yeah?" Marris let out a deep breath as Layla took another one. They were both nervous, she knew that only too well, but she needed to ask her.

"Are you scared?"

_Don't wait, Don't wait_

_The road is now a sudden sea_

_And suddenly, you're deep enough_

_To lay your armor down_

_To lay your armor down_

_To lay your armor down_

"Yeah," Layla nodded, and Marris tore her eyes away from the spot she'd been drilling holes into with her eyes. Layla was looking at her with a smile on her face, but her eyes spoke volumes of nervousness. "You?"

"Totally," Marris replied with a grin on her face. She finally knew why Layla was smiling. This entire thing, this nervousness….it was completely pointless and ridiculous. "Can you believe we're doing this?"

"Once in a lifetime thing Mare," Layla giggled, shaking her head. "Promise me that."

"I promise," She smiled. Marris completely meant that too. The pressure was just too much for either of them to handle. If they won, they won. If they lost, they lost. Whatever mattered to everyone else wouldn't mean anything to them. "Let's do this."

……

Lash made the first move. Marris had toned out everything after Boomer had started explaining the rules to them all about fair playing. He hadn't with anyone else. And Marris knew exactly why. She flexed her hands for a final time before Lash's hand came flying at her face. The buzzer had already gone, and Layla was making a daring move to grab the citizen. Unfortunately, Tyrant had managed to jump in front of her and knock her off her feet. Marris knew she heard Will scream in protest, but it wasn't long before Layla was sending vines his way. They were locked in an intense battle, perhaps one like Warren and Jighead had been in before. But Marris was worrying too much about Lash to even pay attention.

"Come on Marris, I just wanna play," He was in front of her in a second, and she narrowed her eyes at him. Flexing her hand, Marris swung her arms back.

"Fine. Let's," A large gust of grueling wind pummeled Lash across the shiny hardwood floor, only stopping when he hit the boards of the stadium. A gasp was heard from the audience, but Marris didn't pay attention. _Defeat the enemy. Defeat the enemy._ She ran towards him with a hand of fire burning on her right. "Now look who's playing."

"Me," Lash hissed, throwing a hand out. Marris flung an ice pellet in his direction before she felt his hands around her feet. Before she knew it, she was on her back, hand extinguished and eyes closed. Maybe she wasn't strong enough for this competition? Maybe she wasn't as experienced? Lash was on top of her before she could even recuperate. Her stomach lurched, and she heard Layla screaming in her direction. "You know what I meant by playing."

Everything that had happened that night came back in a cold, freezing sweat. His hands against her skin, her fear of what he would do to her when she already knew, the pain and emptiness he'd left her crying with, the consistency in which he'd come every night. Greek had been no haven when the doors stayed unlocked. Marris jerked from underneath him, tear prickling her eyes.

"Please get off of me," She coughed. He didn't understand. This went far past the two of them. That's why Will and Zack had been so upset in the first place. "Lash please get off." His smirk identified a no, and she felt another jolt, a shot of anger filling her head. He saw her as weak and insecure. She saw him as overpowering and controlling. It wasn't him that she was angry with, but that all smeared together in the end.

"And what if I don't want to?"

_Don't wait, Don't wait_

_The lights will flash and fade away_

_The days will pass you by_

_Don't wait_

_To lay your armor down_

Her fists had been clenched. She'd never felt so angry before in her life. What had happened hadn't been her fault, but it had left her feeling like it was. Having a boyfriend with the power of manipulation had been horrible, but she had convinced herself he used his powers for good. He had the power to keep men from raping women, yet he chose to use it for the same reason.

"Come on Marris. Just a kiss-" Lash hadn't been able to stop from speaking before he was blasted off of her. Her anger came in an incredible amount, and she saw everything through a haze of colours. She had the ability to stand. She had thirty seconds until razors would crush the citizen. _"Save me! Save me!"_

"I'll save you," She whispered, taking a step towards the contraption. When her foot hit the ground, her entire body shook. She'd never felt so much power before in her life. The elements had always been present in her blood, in her system, but she'd never felt them all at once. The coolness of water, the sting of ice, the heat of fire, the freshness of earth, and the pressure of wind all pounding in her mind at once.

_To lay your armor down_

Fifteen seconds. She didn't know where Layla was, or Lash, or Tyrant for that matter. But she did know where the needed was. Ten seconds and Marris knew she was too far to make it. Lash had dragged her to the left end of the stadium…or was it the right?

_To lay your armor down_

"I can do it," Flinging her hand out, she felt the ice and the wind leave her body at the same time, both in incredible amounts. "Layla!" The last words she screamed and through the haze she could see the body being caught. Five seconds left and the buzzer hadn't gone yet.

_To lay your armor down_

He'd used her. He'd abused her. And now she was scared to open up her heart because of it.

_To lay your armor down_

"I'm tired of it all," Marris stated to herself. "I want to be rid of it."

"Marris!"

_To lay your armor down._

The buzzer went off and Marris was already out of the stadium.


	8. If Any of You Call Me

Beautiful Somehow

Chapter 8: "Any of You Think I'm Some Huge Drama Queen and I'll Burn You All to a Crisp."

A/N: I'm BACK! Hurray! I know you probably all want to scream at me really badly, especially because of the minor cliffy I left you with in the last chapter (Okay, MAJOR cliffy) but it's not my fault I've been incredibly busy lately...school kind of happens that way. Anyway...enjoy!!

The walls were spinning, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. The floor was swaying back and forth, and she couldn't walk properly to save her life. She felt as if her entire world was crashing down around her and chaining her middle, cutting off any air circulation she had. She remembered when it had actually happened...she'd only been able to cry after the first night.

_"Marris?" The night air was warm and her Bapi had left the windows open to let the house have some 'natural air'. She was in the guest home that was built on the side of their tall, yet small white villa, in bed, reading at midnight. Too much had happened during the day for her to be tired, and she still found herself smiling. She had spent the day with Brandon, swimming at one of the piers at the harbor. She could still feel the water on her skin as they floated in the water, holding each other and smiling. "Marris?"_

_"Brandon?" Marris whispered back, the grin on her face growing. His face popped up from the window, his features shadowed from the candles lighting her room. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I wanted to see you," She smiled. He was so wonderful...the first day she'd been in Greece, he'd noticed her. And she had most definitely noticed him. "Can I come in?"_

_"Of course."_

"Marris!" That was Layla. Her footsteps echoing down the hallway after her. She'd probably left half the school in shock, half the school smirking back in the gymnasium. As for Lash, he would most definitely be staying away from her. At least, that's what she hoped.

"Marris! Slow down!" There was Will. She could hear more than two pairs of footsteps running down the hallway. If she could see through this blur, breathe properly, and walk straight, maybe she could turn around to see who was behind her.

"I'm going to kill that son of a-"

"Zack! Stop it...Marris!" Her cousin and his girlfriend were there to, and she could probably guess that Ethan was there, wrapped up in trying to keep up with the rest of the group. But where was-

She walked into something warm, soft, and leathery. Warren's arms were around her before she could pull back, but she couldn't look up at him. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't relate to anything other than panic. Her mind seemed to be on overdrive and she couldn't pull it back.

"Marris, calm down..." Warren's soft voice made her cringe. She tried to push him away. He was stopping her from going to wherever she was going, and she didn't like it. "Marris..."

"L-Le-Leave m-me alo-ne!" She coughed. It took her a second to realize she was crying. Crying, something she'd been doing too much of lately. She pounded on his chest, tried to push him away. His grip was too strong, his arms were too tight around her. She felt claustrophobic, and she felt like her lungs were collapsing.

"Marris!"

"Marris!"

Too many voices, too many noises, one too many dropped hearts and she collapsed.

"She suffered from a panic attack."

One hour later, Layla, Will, Zack, Maj, Ethan, and Warren sat outside the nurses' office, staring stony faced at Principal Powers. The tournament had carried on after Marris had left the auditorium and Principal Powers had reassured everyone that Marris' stunning display of power earlier was not a threat to them. Warren had glared at everyone who had left the competition to try and see what was wrong with her. They weren't her friends...they were only pretending to try and get in. No one would lie...what Marris had accomplished in that short time had been...incredibly captivating. She'd been engulfed in some sort of light, and everything had seemed to move in slow motion while she walked. Of course, he'd been shouting the second Lash had set himself on her.

"Will she be okay?" Layla's worried voice came from beside him, and Warren sent her a surly glance. She had been the first one running after her best friend, the fighting gear still clinging to her body. He knew it was probably bothering her but she put Marris before anything else. His smoky eyes glanced to the window. It was raining outside. It always rained when she was unhappy.

"She will be fine. She just needs a bit of resting and a group of friends to build her up again. Both, I think she has," Principal Powers said calmly. Zack straightened up on his other side, clearing his throat.

"Could we go see her?" He voiced the question they were all desperately asking in their minds. Warren watched the Sky High principal anxiously as she pondered this for a moment before speaking.

"Yes. I think you can...but please, be very quiet," Powers smiled at them all before nodding her head and leaving the school nurse in charge. The small elderly lady grinned cheerily at them as they gambled out of their seats. Warren's stomach was burning. He didn't think it was a good idea for all six of them to go in at once, with the worry that she might start hyperventilating again.

"Layla, do you really think it's a good idea that we all go in there at once?" He asked, grabbing Layla's arm to hold her back. She turned to smile wearily at him, shaking her head as she laughed lightly.

"Warren...I think Marris would rather see everyone at once than just in turns...she doesn't have patience like that."

"Any of you think I'm some huge drama queen, and I'll burn you all to a crisp."

The comment was very harsh, but very Marris Revola. She was sitting up in the small cot used for seriously sick students or the weak ones who fainted after getting a shot. Much like he had only several months before. Zack smiled the best he could at his cousin, refraining from making a comment only because he was seriously worried about her. It had never been this bad before, not even after the first nightmare she'd had at home. He cracked his knuckles, watching as Layla, Maj, and Will all crowded her with in a huge hug. The next time he saw that elastic...

"Zack! You're glowing red!" Maj's voice cut into his thoughts, and he tried to brush the fact he'd turned the colour of a fire hydrant off with casual cockiness.

"It's just somethin I do," He grinned, tugging on the collar of his shirt. "How are you doin cuz?"

"I'm alive," Marris replied. But she was pale...almost too pale to seem humanly possible. She'd gotten changed out of those horrible battle outfits, something Layla had neglected to do. Good...but not good enough. She needed to be home, in her room, listening to her favorite music and growing whatever healing plant she could to get over this. "I know what you were thinking." She said it like such a little kid, as if she knew a dirty secret about him that she was hiding from the rest of the world.

"Yeah, yeah," Zack sighed, glancing quickly around the room. It was raining outside...not that he hadn't noticed that before. "You wanna go home?"

"No...I really find this place comfortable," She rolled her eyes after the statement, shaking her head. "Of course I want to go home. Auntie is probably worried sick by now." Marris started to get up from the cot, and Zack turned around to see if that meddling nurse would try anything. However, she was gone. They had been left in the room all alone, with nothing to do but sit and talk.

"Wait, Marris," Warren's voice came from out of nowhere, and Zack noticed it was the first time he'd spoken since Marris had collapsed in his arms. He felt slightly sorry for him. He'd been caught in the middle of all her post-problem problems and she still hadn't given him the reason why. In fact, half of the people in this room had no idea what was wrong with her. "You're not leaving until you're telling us what the hell just happened."

The room went dead silent. Zack saw Layla's grip on Marris' hand get tighter. Her face had turned quickly into a frown, and she let out a heavy sigh. He felt his stomach squirm uncomfortably, and he cleared his throat again.

"Come on Marris," Zack mumbled, looking his cousin in the eye. Her colourful eyes that seemed to tell such wondrous stories that were never real. "You have to tell them now. It's unfair if you don't."

She sighed. She knew he was right, he could feel it pumping through her veins. And his veins. And Will's and Layla's. Three out of the six guests in this room that could not understand what the victim in front of them had been through.

"Come on Mare," Layla's voice was a sliver of quietness. Marris shook her head. Zack's eyes flew to Warren, who was brimming with a mess of emotions. Maj was quiet on the side of Marris's cot, her mouth shut but her eyes glued to her friend. Ethan was standing awkwardly at his shoulder, not sure if he should be curious or forgiving. "You can do it."

"I know," Marris said quietly, her eyes dropping to the floor. "To make a hard story kind of easier to understand, when I was in Greece...I was raped." The silence that had been waiting to jump out on them did, and began to choke them. Zack could have sworn time had stopped in that very instant.

"You...what?" Maj stuttered. Zack's eyes flashed quickly from his girlfriend to Ethan to Warren. One simple phrase could be plastered to their faces at that minute. _Oh my-_

"I got raped," The words were stinging his ears, and it was all he could do to keep standing. Marris? Marris Revora? The girl he knew he was slowly and surely falling for? No...she couldn't possibly have been a victim of _that_. But the look she was wearing, and the look her two best friends and her cousin was wearing said otherwise. "My boyfriend, Brandon."

"Only once?" Ethan's small voice piped up, and Warren turned to glare at him before turning back to Marris to was staring at Ethan with a blank and straightforward expression. She must have gone through this a thousand times with people and in her head.

"Several times," This conversation was like a drug. He wanted her to stop talking, but the urge to find out more was addicting. A silence fell over them again as Warren thought Ethan had chosen to ask only one question. Several times. How? He couldn't grasp how Marris, _his_ Marris wouldn't have been able to stop something like that from happening more than once.

"How?" Maj finally answered his question, and his eyes flickered back to Marris. She looked fazed for a moment, her eyes glazing over as Layla held her hand. Warren's eyes dared to flicker to Will. He looked angry and upset...a mixture of both. As did Layla...and Zack...he figured his expression was something of the same kind.

"Brandon had powers to. He could control what people did...and...it was just bad on my part," Her answer seemed so gentle and delicate, there seemed to be no emotion from behind it. But he knew better...much, much better. "The next question you're going to ask is how did he stop. I finally broke down and told my Nani. She called the police...and we had to wait months and months for the trial."

"Oh wow..." Warren still hadn't said anything, and he could feel Will's eyes boring into his head. But what was he supposed to say? Now, he understood everything he hadn't before. Why she'd been hesitant, why she'd gotten sick that one night, why she'd been so touchy about kissing him. Everything suddenly made sense.

"Could you guys leave me and Warren alone for a second?" Marris sounded impatient, frustrated, and curious. The others only glanced at each other in curiosity before leaving quietly, Zack's elbow coming in contact with his arm as he was the last to leave. Warren stood there, suddenly feeling stripped of everything. He only turned to look at her when she cleared her throat. "_Ahem_."

"Marris..." He trailed off, not able to finish his sentence as her greenish-grayish eyes watched him. Her face was scrunched up lightly in a look of high concentration, and her lips were pursed. There was only one word to describe her. Disgruntled. "I...I..."

"You what? I just tell you probably the biggest thing that's happened in my entire life that should make sense to everything you've been questioning for the past few months, and you're tongue-tied," She snapped. Warren frowned lightly. She was angry at him. Angry at him? He hadn't been the one on top of her in the stadium. He wasn't the one who was going to be walking on death's row from now until Warren could find him.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked quietly, only being replied to with a disgruntled shout. "Marris...I...you must have some idea about how...bad I feel..."

"Do I? Is that what you think?" Marris muttered, shaking her head. Warren's eyes fell to the floor in shame. Could he really put that into a question for her to guess? He lifted his eyes to see her hands covering her face, her legs brought up to her chest, and her body shaking lightly. The alarm in his head went off immediately and he recognized that this time he'd seen her crying as more of an exhausted and graceful fall than before. Before it had most definitely been a crash landing. "I'm so sorry Warren...I'm so...so...sorry..."

And he couldn't do anything but walk up to the cot and put his arms around her gently.


	9. No, Not That It

Beautiful Somehow

Chapter 9: "No, Not That _It_. I Mean, the _Kiss_ It."

**A/N: So I know it's ****tooootttaalllyyy more than a bit late, but Happy Holidays/New Year! I've gotten so many reviews demanding this chapter be put up, I decided I had to kick off and write it. Here you are my wonderful (and impatient) readers! Chapter nine, at your service!**

**ooooo **

It had been an eventful day for Marris. Save the Citizen had turned out to be a bust, and collapsing in front of her best friends after fleeing the arena hadn't been her ultimate plan for the day. Then of course she'd got home with a buzzing Zack and Layla to find her Auntie and Uncle waiting impatiently for her. She'd answered their questions, settled their complaints, then went up to her bedroom with Layla to try and relax. Several hours later they were still sprawled on the floor, looking at the old picture albums Marris had taken out for old times sake and talking idly about the subject. Layla had made them both flower crowns and Marris had lit some candles here and there while _Paramore_ played quietly in the background. It was her form of a cleansing ritual.

"Oh hey! Do you remember this day?" Marris' eyes flickered towards the colourful scrapbook Layla was flipping through. The page was filled with pictures of kid versions of her, Zack, Will, and Layla as some sort of picnic. Marris felt a smile tug on her lips and she glanced up at Layla, letting out a chuckle.

"Do I remember that day? Of course I do! How could I not?" It had been the first grade family picnic at their elementary school. Her parents hadn't been there, but her Auntie and Uncle had been, along with Zack and everyone else that mattered to her. She'd been too young to be upset that her parents were off in Rome fighting evil occurrences. "Remember when Will got the watermelon seed stuck up his nose?" Layla's laugh immediately reassured her that she did remember. "And you had to get it out for him with your _supa powers!_"

"He didn't understand how even then," Layla giggled, shaking her head. "He just thought it magically fell out and that me waving my hand in front of his nose had nothing to do with it." Marris' stomach began to ache from laughing as Layla shut the books, rolling onto her back once she had. "You know what we should do?"

"What?" Marris asked while collecting the dusty black scrapbooks. She kept them underneath her bed in a huge pile for whenever she felt like reminiscing on old times. She even had one from Greece before Brandon had happened. Layla's grin was huge and evident in the way she spoke to her.

"We should call Will and get him to call Warren, and get Zack to call Maj and Ethan, and we should have a huge _party_ or something," Marris' eyebrows raised at her words as she pushed the stack of books underneath her bed. The idea was nice, but her guardians were going out to a banquet and probably wouldn't like the idea of their teenage son and niece throwing a house party in their absence.

"You can talk to my Auntie about that one, okay Lay?" She laughed, hopping to her feet. "I don't see how we're going to be able to throw a house party-"

"No, no, not that kind of party," Layla tisked, sitting up and turning to face Marris. Blowing a piece of long red hair out of her face, she continued to smile while explaining. "I mean like order a few pizzas, get out some movies and old board games, stay up until one in the morning type of party! You deserve one after today."

"Oh," Marris felt her cheeks go red as Layla sat there smiling at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well...I guess they'd be okay with that-"

"Great! I'll call Will and you go tell Zack!" Before Marris could protest, Layla had jumped up from the floor and grabbed her cordless phone from its receiver on her bedside table, leaving her no choice but to go talk to her cousin.

**oooooo**

"But Zack, just think about how nice it'll be to get everyone together," Marris sighed. She was still in Zack's room ten minutes later, trying to convince him to say yes while he charged her iPod. She'd used the fact it needed to be recharged as an in before presenting Layla's idea to him. The blond looked back at her from his computer chair, the look on his tan face being exactly the opposite of what she was hoping. "Please?"

"Marris..." He whined before turning back to his computer. "It's not that _I_ don't like the idea, I just don't want to bother mum when she's getting read-"

"I already asked her," She quickly interjected, widening her eyes for the effect of a puppy-dog expression. "Come on Zack...it'll be so much fun! And I think I deserve it after the day I've gone through. Please?" Zack turned to glare at her, and Marris had to stop her frown from faltering when she saw his eyes melt. "It'll give us all a chance to...relax."

"Are you sure you want to have a bunch of our rowdy, loud friends in our house? Bothering you and pestering you all night?" Marris bit down on her bottom lip, observing her cousin. She had thought about that clearly after Layla had gotten off the phone. The last thing she wanted was her best friends worrying over her and asking her to explain the situation in detail.

"Layla made a rule that no one is allowed to talk about what happened today," She sighed, crossing her arms over her stomach. "We're just going to have fun and act like nothing happened." The look Zack was giving her wasn't one she liked to see on the faces of people she loved. _Pity_. Marris rolled her eyes before turning her gaze from her cousin to his room. Although he'd begged his mother to let him paint it bright yellow, he'd had to stick with a plain white and mustard yellow. Truth be told, everything in his room was a fairly bright colour. She had never personally liked Zack's room. She felt that it's only purpose was to be made to make her feel like she was stuck in a room that required her to be in a straight jacket.

"Fine," The quick remark took him more than seconds to ponder, but it brought a huge smile to her face. Though it hadn't been her idea, the idea itself suddenly seemed a very bright prospect to her. And one that she liked. "I'll call Maj and Ethan...and tell them not to mention _it_." His look hadn't changed, but it had become more protective by his last word. Marris smiled as she took a step towards his chair and bent down to hug him, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you!"

**ooooooo**

"Doorbell, doorbell, doorbell! Man with the pizzas at the door!" Will's entrance didn't go unnoticed by anyone, as it usually did when it came to his friends. He carried five huge pizza boxes in his hands when Marris opened the door for him, laughing at his obvious struggle. Warren came in behind him with a large brown bag more than likely containing dessert. "Finally! Someone hears my cries for help!"

"You've been here for like, two seconds Will," Marris giggled, rolling her eyes. Warren felt his stomach churn at the noise and forced a smile. _I love it too much when she laughs. _He shook his head to make the thought disappear while he waited for Will to actually get in the door. "Do you need help with those?"

"No! No...I've got them," Although Warren was thankful to have a kid like Will for his best friend, the reason why he hadn't liked him in the first place kept on popping up. No, no, not the whole father-battle thing. The entire, slightly _annoying_ factor that came with Will Stronghold.

"Will, just...give...me...the...boxes..." Marris muttered as she struggled to take them from his hands. Will obviously protested...until Layla fortunately came running down the staircase with Maj. "Layla, tell your boyfriend to...let...me...take...these!"

"Will, let Marris take the pizzas," Layla sighed. Warren was surprised when he immediately let go of the pizza boxes and almost made Marris topple over in his quick effort to see his girlfriend.

"Oh my gosh Will!" Her annoyance was obvious when she rolled her eyes and turned to go to the kitchen without a smile on her face. Warren sighed as he let himself in. She was still frustrated and angry. He had known that this "party" was a bad idea from the second Will had determinedly convinced him to come.

"Warren?" Layla's voice made him look up from his focus on the sea blue wall. "Why don't you go help Marris with the pizzas and stuff?" The look she and Will were both giving him was almost identical, and Warren knew exactly what they were trying to push. Sighing, he only rolled his eyes before kicking off his shoes and following Marris into the kitchen. If she snapped at him, he could always use the ice cream in his hands as an excuse to talk to her.

**oooooooo**

"You know, it's alright to yell at the kid sometimes," Marris almost dropped the pitcher of strawberry juice she was pouring when Warren's voice interrupted the silence she had going for her in the kitchen. Setting the glass down, she let out a sigh as she felt his eyes on the back of her head. This was the last thing she needed...Warren Peace, mystery man extrordinare, trying to give her life advice. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"Yes you did," She mumbled to herself before picking up the pitcher again, refusing to look at him unless she had to. "And I don't yell at people unless I have a real reason to be angry at them. Not just because they won't give me a few boxes of pizza to take into the kitchen." Marris finished pouring herself a glass of her favorite homemade juice when Warren slid a brown paper bag onto the table before he leaned against the counter beside her. He was trying to be sympathetic but failing miserably. Keeping her eyes on the shining counter in front of her, she asked him a question without actually looking at him. "Do you want some strawberry juice?"

"No thank you," He said stiffly. "Look, Marris, I know you don't want to talk about _it_, but you've got to understand tha-"

"Warren," Marris cut him off sharply, finally looking up at him. His dark smoky eyes were observing her widely, an eyebrow arching when she suddenly interrupted him. "I know you're just trying to help me with my whole healing process, but I don't really feel comfortable talking about what happened when I got raped, okay?" His mouth dropped open lightly and he shifted his weight to his other foot. He was wearing a tight black shirt and black jeans...she was making a guess that he had left his signature leather jacket near the door. But even without his regular appearance, Warren looked perplexed at what she was saying.

"Actually...I was talking about what happened the other day between us in the janitor's closet," Warren mumbled quietly, his cheeks lighting up only seconds before hers did. "I figured you'd turn me into a daisy or something if I tried to get you to open up about that." Her grip on the handle of the pitcher had only gotten tighter within the last few seconds, and Marris could have sworn she was giving off steam from the way she was blushing. _How stupid can you get!? Of course he was talking about that!_

"Oh," Was all that managed to come out of her mouth as they stood in an awkward silence, Marris desperately trying to come up with something to say. "Well...what is there to talk about?" His head jutted forward a bit as he narrowed his eyes at her. She could almost feel his mind scanning his memory to figure out exactly what he'd missed earlier.

"What do you mean what is there to talk about? There's quite a bit to talk about and I know you know that Marris, so don't play dumb with me," Warren's tone sounded more than just a little frustrated. She felt her stomach clench as her mind jumped to one foremost conclusion.

"Well it was a mistake, wasn't it?" Marris asked, watching his face for a reaction. The utter expression of frustration and anger left his face for a minute as it fell in disappointment before he shook it off and regained his composure. "That's what you want to talk about, isn't it? The situation was just a mistake and you had no idea what you were saying. You didn't mean any of it, did you?" She hadn't meant for it all to come out, especially in the tone and the way that it had, but she had always had a problem with saying too much or too little. This time, she'd gone one way and then ran back to the other.

"Actually, - "

"Marris! Bring the pizzas in! We're starving in here!" Zack's loud yell cut Warren off and Marris felt her cheeks light up for the second time that night. Finding a quick out of the already sufficiently awkward situation, she quickly took a step for the pizza boxes, grabbing her juice with the other.

"Warren, could you please grab the plates and the napkins? Oh, and the glasses. Layla already put the drinks out on the table," She surprised herself with the level of ignorance in her voice and instantly regretted it. The look he was giving her was more than sad and less than angry. It was a mix between hurt and confusion that she'd never seen before, and all he did was nod and mumble "fine" before taking the stack of plates, plastic cups, and napkins that she'd already put out and leaving the kitchen quickly.

**ooooooooo**

They were halfway through the movie _Inside Man_ and finishing the last box of pizza when Marris felt Layla's elbow nudge her right side. Glancing towards her best friend, she inwardly sighed at the look of expectation that Layla had written on her face. How was it that she couldn't go one hour without someone finding out about what had most recently happened between her and Warren.

"What happened with you and Warren?" She whispered as quietly as she could, leaning over to say it in Marris' ear. Marris bit down on her bottom lip, resting her back against the edge of the couch. In a coin toss, the guys had won the couches and armchairs (Zack had argued that it was only fair seeing as his gender had the majority of bodies there) while the girls had been treated to the rug over hardwood flooring. It wasn't the fact that her back, legs, and rear were now screaming at her, but the fact that Zack had gloated for several minutes afterward that annoyed her most.

"Nothing really," Marris lied, whispering back into Layla's ear. "We just talked about what happened the other day in the closet and started to argue about it before Zack called us." Layla leaned back to raise her eyebrows at her, her round brown eyes only growing wider.

"Are you sure that's it? He seems more moody than he usually is," Marris leaned forward after listening to Layla to glance at the armchair to the right wing of the couch. Warren sat stiffly in it, his face hard and his eyes giving off the obvious. There was no way he was paying attention to the movie. Leaning back, she let out a sigh, turning back to Layla.

"I might have accidentally accused him of not meaning anything he said, and that the entire kiss was just a mistake," Marris knew it took a lot for Layla not to scream and slap her arm, but seeing as they were sitting in a room full of people who would immediately jump to question them, she restrained herself from doing so.

"Marris!" Layla hissed, standing up and grabbing Marris' hand. This generally caused a roar of complaint from Will and Zack who seemed to be the only people still engrossed in the movie. Ethan and Maj were asleep in their seats. "Sorry...I just wanted...the ice cream! We still haven't eaten that. Marris, come with me."

"Oh...okay," Marris hesitantly got up, knowing she was in for something that would be in short a large lecture. Smiling as best she could at the others who were wrapped up in the movie, she made her way past her friends, her eyes falling on Warren last. He didn't look her way. _Great..._ "I don't know what flavors they brought."

"Whichever flavors should be great..." Layla trailed off as they entered the kitchen, her large brown eyes becoming wide instantly. "I can't believe you told him that!" Marris' mouth dropped open and she felt herself go doe-eyed again, the expression she usually wore when she felt ashamed.

"I didn't know what I was saying," She finally managed to say, her eyes downcast as she got out spoons and ice cream bowls. "Honestly. I was so embarrassed by what happened today and what _he_ was saying-"

"What was _he_ saying?" Layla inquired, lifting the cartons of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream from the brown bag. _Half-Baked_, _Phish Food_, _Chunky Monkey_,and _Cherry Garcia_ suddenly sat in twos on the counter. Marris felt her mouth water. There was nothing like Ben & Jerry's. "You don't get ice cream if you don't tell me." Layla's face was completely serious, and Marris let out a sigh before speaking.

"He wanted to talk about it."

"But we said that we weren't talking about it," Layla was obviously confused, something Marris' quick patience and hunger for ice cream was not accepting.

"No, not that _it_. I mean, _the kiss_ it," She corrected, waving the handful of spoons in front of her. Layla's mouth formed an 'o' shape as she stared intently at the counter top. "Yeah. Exactly."

"Marris..." Layla sighed, looking back up at her best friend. "You still said some pretty harsh things to him. Especially with Warren. He basically told you how he felt, and you went and trampled all over him." Her cheeks got hotter with every word Layla said, and Marris pretended to be busy looking for a tray to carry the ice cream out on. "Don't be mad at me, please."

"I'm not mad at you Lay," She said quietly, finally finding the big wooden tray she was looking for. "It's just...Brandon was a big deal...and I'm taking a longer than expected time to get over what he did to me." A minute of silence passed with only the distant sounds of the movie and the buzzing and humming of the kitchen appliances. An arm crossed her shoulders and Marris felt her frown lighten as she turned to try a smile with Layla.

"I know. This is really unfair to you. But Warren...he's _so_ great. And he really likes you. And I'm pretty sure you have some sort of feeling towards him too," Marris nodded her head quietly. Of course she had feelings for him. He hadn't been the only person kissing in that janitor closet. "Maybe you could just give him a shot? Or at least let him know."

"Yeah, yeah," She mumbled, leaning into her best friend's embrace. "I've just never been good at explaining things like that. You heard me today." Layla laughed lightly, squeezing her shoulder before sneaking the tray from her hands.

"You weren't half bad, actually," She giggled, a bright smile back on her face. The expression was too much for Marris not to smile. "I think you're just scared of what you think he's going to say. Well, I've got news for you Marris Revora. You already know what he's going to say, and how he feels about you. Trust me. You've just got to try."

"Hey!" Will's overly chipper voice came from the door way to the kitchen, and both girls looked back at him. "Where's the ice cream? I thought you guys said you were bringing it or something." Layla turned to face him, holding the tray up with one hand.

"If you would just be patient, we're coming," Marris felt her stomach twist funnily as Will and Layla made puppy eyes at each other. She'd never gotten to do that with anyone, not even Brandon. And she hardly thought Warren was the kind of puppy eyes person. But that didn't mean he wouldn't be everything else she needed, and possibly more. She let herself sigh, lifting her hands and running her fingers through her hair. How could she try after she'd potentially screwed up _everything_?


	10. I Can't Stop Thinking

Beautiful Somehow

Chapter 10: "I Can't Stop Thinking About What Happened."

a/n: Thank you so much for all the kind reviews you guys have been sending me! I know you totally love Marris and what I've made of Warren, and that some of you are just dying to have me get them together. Problem is, I'm still trying to decide how to wrap this story up eventually. And Marris is a bit of a stubborn character. Remember! **Reviewing **motivates authors.

**o**

Warren was steaming as he slammed the door to his house shut. His mother wasn't home – she rarely was – so he didn't bother with pretending to be quiet. Pretending that _nothing_ was bothering him. He had never been too good at lying about stuff that actually mattered to him, a trait that centered around the word **_feelings_**. He hadn't been taught to tend to them or care for them, especially after his father had left. His mother had been a pit of sorrow and he had learned to keep the words **_love_**, **_sympathy_**, and **_pity_** out of his mental vocabulary. He had been to young to understand why his father was behind bars and an entire specialized heavy-lock security system. He had only been old enough to understand who had put Baron there. **Steve Stronghold**, or in formal terms, **_The Commander_**, was understood to be the enemy. Instead of the good his mother had been filled with, he was filled in return with **_hate_**, **_bitterness_**, and **_ignorance_**. He had never questioned his mother's motives, but had grown to be a teenager who struggled with trying to fit his way into the lives of others around him. Friends hadn't been an experience. Enemies were much easier to lose attachments with. He had been called **_villain_**. But that was the one thing he had guarded himself from becoming after hearing his father's story for the millionth time. He would not, could not become Baron Battle. **_Villain_** was one of the things Warren Peace considered himself _not_.

Yet everything had changed after he'd met Layla...and quickly to follow, Maj, Ethan, Zack, and Will. An entire clan of caring, loving friends who actually wanted to accept them. Almost destroying the school while defeating a clan of Super-Villain-to-be's had its bonding time. Agreeing to go to homecoming with Layla in order to make Will jealous had given him its perks. And now, almost half a year later, Warren could not be happier that he had begun to rekindle relationships with piers before meeting Marris. Not that that gave him a significant advantage to getting any sort of in depth relationship with her. She was **_tricky_**.

Warren threw his jacket onto the couch, his house shady and dim with shadows etching every inch of the floor that wasn't already flooded with the light of the street lamp coming in through the front window. He didn't bother too heavily with lights unless he needed to see something. He could handle being in a dark room by himself. He usually preferred to be in a dark room by himself. Until he had met _her_. Much like Layla and Will and the rest of his new friends had, Marris had pushed herself into his life and into his mind. Yet she had done so with a stubborn and ignorant attitude that screamed she wasn't leaving until he would at least act civilized. She had forced him to like her...and made him realize it wasn't that hard to.

He ran a hand through his long hair as he entered his kitchen, flicking on the light beside the entranceway. The fluorescent lights had nothing to mirror the comfort and the casualty any of his friends' kitchen lights had. While his house was dingy, airy, and almost empty, the houses of his friends were filled with pictures, warm colours, and cozy accents. Warren clenched his teeth together as he opened his refrigerator door, wincing as the bright light from the open refrigerator hit his eyes. There wasn't much. Leftover Chinese takeout he'd brought home, a few apples, some assorted condiments, a salad, a bit of leftover Spaghetti-O's, some ham and cheese, milk, water, and a half drunk bottle of Coca-Cola. He also, could not help but notice the numerous wine bottles lining the top of the fridge as he shut the door, his hand closed around the handle for the water pitcher. His stomach churned as he turned to get a glass from the cabinets over the sink and counters. The freezer had nothing but ice, juice cans, and frozen meats in it, yet to his mother, the wine bottles were the most important when she came home from work. Or wherever she went as an excuse for work. An out of work Superhero with a broken heart that spent her time in secrets and late nights. His mother, who had once been a shining example in his life, was now the recipe for **_disaster_**.

Warren opened the dull green cabinet and pulled out a tall glass. Setting it on the counter, he filled it to the top with water. Marris, who could control all elements, couldn't seem to control how she felt. At least, that's what she seemed to be telling him. One minute, she liked him. The next minute, she was shutting him out and taking a step back. She had her reasons, now that he knew a bit of her past. But that wasn't all. That wasn't it. Had they caught Brandon? Is that why she had spent so long in Greece? As he moved to put back the pitcher of water, Warren vaguely wondered what now would be if Marris had been attending Sky High at the beginning of September. Would things be different now? Would he even be friends with who he was friends with now?

He had grabbed his jacket from the couch and made his way down the hall to his room after turning off all the lights, keeping the lamp nearest the front door on for his mother whenever she got home. His bedroom was crème coloured, small, and dull, with few comforts and an old, squishy blue sheet bed that sat awkwardly to one corner. Warren threw his jacket to the side, set the water on his bedside table, kicked off his jeans, shoes, and socks, and collapsed onto his bed.

Marris Revora. She was a mystery in herself, but one that he was definitely experiencing feelings outside of friendship for. He wanted her to want him, need him there for any time, whether her need be dire or nil. He wanted her to be his and his only, with the possibility of other hands staying clearly away from her. And up until recently, he had thought his chances of being that for her were high. But she had started pushing him away again after he'd gotten too close. Almost obsessively, Warren ran over the last conversation they had had through his head a million and one times. He looked for his flaws. Other than being too pushy, he couldn't understand what he might have done wrong. He took another sigh. Maybe being pushy was too much for her to handle.

"I'm giving myself a headache," Warren muttered to no one but the emptiness in his room. Reaching backward, he grabbed the bottle of Tylenol he'd learned to keep there. **_Pain_** was not a word he wasn't used to hearing. Twisting the cap off and pouring two into his hand, he closed the bottle again and tossed the small white pills into his mouth. The instant disgusting taste filled the roof of his mouth and he hurriedly grabbed the glass of water, spilling some onto his comforter while he did. He cursed about that after he'd swallowed the painkillers and most of the disgusting taste that accompanied them. He could worry about Marris much later. Right now, his body was screaming sleep too loudly to be easily ignored.

**oo**

Layla and Maj were asleep. The early morning moonlight was shining through Marris' bedroom window, her curtains draw on either side of the large window. Somehow the three of them had managed to squish all three of their bodies onto her double bed after Will had left around midnight. Zack and Maj had stayed talking in the living room while Layla and Marris had cleaned up and then, sometime around one, they had all gone off to bed. Now, it was **4:14** a.m. and Marris lay awake on the left edge of her bed.

_I can't stop thinking about him. _Warren had been steaming when he'd left, being the first one to leave. She couldn't blame him. _She_ would be fuming if she were in the same position. Finally accepting that her eyes were not going to fall prey to weariness, Marris quietly slipped out of the sheets, trying not to wake either of her friends. They deserved to rest and dream and not worry about her problems. For the past few hours, all anyone had been doing was worrying about her problems. Even when she protested and said she was fine, it's all anyone worried about.

Tiptoeing out of her room, Marris made her way down the dark stairwell after pausing and contemplating waking her auntie up. _No. They were out all night and I would wake up both of them. That wouldn't be fair. _Her house was eerily quiet in the early morning. It seemed at once that every object in the front hall, the living room, and the kitchen had shadows creeping out behind them from the street lamp light drifting in through the front windows. She shivered quietly. The dark brought out the frightening side to everything. _Even when you think they're alright._ Thinking back to the nights she'd spent in terror in Greece, she placed a hand on her lower stomach. It still hurt to remember. She had been a virgin. Brandon...he had been something entirely different.

"But it's all over now," She whispered to herself, finally finding herself in the kitchen. Marris knew what she needed. A tall glass of water and a couple painkillers to make the thoughts that were forming one massive headache disappear for a few hours. Turning the light switch on to a reasonably dim level, she paused before sauntering across the kitchen floor to the refrigerator. As much as she willed him not to, Brandon haunted every shadow or dark room she entered alone. She resented the fact that she had to close her eyes every time she entered a room that required her to turn on a light. Though she knew he wouldn't be, Marris had a constant fear Brandon would be standing in the corner of that room, waiting for her.

The water pitcher was heavy after she had refilled it before going to bed. The tall glass she silently took from one of the cabinets near the sink was shining and clear. It made a rushing sound while she filled it half way, only probing her ongoing headache onward. Marris closed her eyes and frowned. This wasn't good. Her locked memories were only mixing with her current thoughts in order to cause confusion and frustration. She wanted to, needed to, fix everything. And everything was slowly slipping away from her.

"Okay...you can do this...you can sneak out of your own house in the middle of the night...no..." After debating her decisions for what seemed like a forever but was really only a few minutes, Marris decided the only thing she could do was sneak out of her house and go to Warren's house. While swallowing more water and making her way to the medicine cabinet in the corner of the room, she decided that it was a horrible idea that would only make her feel guiltier. Marris sighed to herself as she slid the small white bottle of _Advil_ out of the medicine cabinet and into her hands. This was her life. One way after another to get rid of the pain she had to live with. _Marris, listen to yourself. You sound like some depressed lunatic. Sneaking out of your house in the middle of the night to apologize to someone? Is that really you?_

Straightening up as she slipped three of the turquoise pills into her mouth, she nodded her head. _Yes. It is really me._

**ooo**

He was sitting in a white room, much like the detention room at his high school. He didn't know why he was here, but he knew it had something to do with _him_. He tapped his fingers on the desk he was sitting in – the only one in the room. It was glowing and making him scowl. His dark hair stuck out against his skin and his clothes seeing as he was in a white pajama-like outfit. This wasn't real...he knew too well it was a dream. He knew because he'd had it before. He was just sitting and waiting for something. Something to do with-

"Warren."

His neck straightened and his eyes snapped up to the door in front of him. Again it was slowly creaking open to reveal the tip of a black boot. His father's boot. Immediately he tried to get up, just as he did every night he had this dream. There were a million questions he'd like to have answers to and a million things he wanted to tell him.

"Dad-"

The desk held him down again. Just as it did every night. Every night he was prevented from seeing the man he hated but at the same time longed for. It was an odd feeling. Yet he was going through it again and again.

"Warren," **_Tap, tap, tap._** "Warren," **_Tap, tap, tap._** "Warren." **_Tap, tap, tap._**

Warren opened his eyes to find the cool night air pouring in through his cracked open window. He blinked. A tapping noise had interrupted him from his dream...the same tapping noise that was rapping through his window. He jumped up from his bed to peer at the shadow sitting outside his window. _Who is that?_ The first person that ran into his mind was his mother. She'd forgotten her key and was too drunk to realize the door was open. But the whisper that followed this was incredibly different from the voice of his mother, drunk or sober.

"Warren? Is that you?" He blinked hard to wake himself up as he stumbled out of his bed to get to the window. Marris was frowning back at him, biting down on her bottom lip when he crouched down beside the window.

"Marris? What the hell are you doing here?" Warren mumbled, shaking his hair out of his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Almost five a.m.," She whispered, only stopping to talk before biting down on her lip again. She looked upset about something and tired. Incredibly tired. "Warren, I'm so sorry."

"What?" He blinked and shook his head again to try and wake up. She was sorry? About- It took him five seconds to realize that he was still annoyed with her for pretending nothing had happened. It took him five more seconds to realize that it was cold outside and she was only wearing a wrap sweater, pajama pants, and a loose fitting T-shirt. "Can we talk about this inside?"

"I shouldn't stay too lo-"

"Marris. Inside, please?"

Her face had disappeared from the window in a flash. The front door clicked after a few beats of silence and Marris appeared at his door, still biting down on her bottom lip. He had noticed in the few months he had known her for that it was quite the habit of hers whether she was nervous, upset, thinking, or absentminded. Warren knew that she wouldn't have snuck out of her house at five a.m. if she wasn't upset. He was only hoping he knew why.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her for the second time, taking a seat on his bed. Though he usually hated being below someone while talking to him or her, the dizziness his sudden awaking was bringing on was too much for him to shake off. "Marris?"

"Huh?" Marris mumbled, the unfocused glaze disappearing from her gray eyes. The expectant look he was giving her must have startled her back into what she had been thinking about. "Oh...I'm sorry." She took a deep breath, as if she were about to plunge into something too huge for her to swim through. "Look, I can't stop thinking about what happened tonight." Warren remained silent. Marris took a hesitant step towards him. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" His question seemed to make her more hesitant in her actions and choice of words. A large wave of silence washed between the two of them, a period of time that Marris filled by slowly moving to the edge of his bed and sitting down. Though they were both mostly dressed, Warren still blushed at the fact they were both sitting on his bed in his dark, empty house. At least...what he _assumed_ to be empty.

"For pretending like nothing happened between the two of us," Marris finally sighed, keeping her eyes down on his bed spread. Warren felt his face get hotter. "For not wanting to talk about it."

"I..." He trailed off, unsure of what to say next. It was a hard situation for a person who was horrible with words to face. Say the wrong thing and lose the girl. Say the right thing and get the girl. "Marris, I know you're struggling with...trusting guys and stuff. But I promise that I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you." Quietly he listened to himself and searched for a loophole in what he was saying. "And I don't expect you to trust me, but I really wish you would. You know by now that I care about you. We all do. Me, Zack, Layla, Will, Maj, Ethan...all of us." For the first time in a long time, Warren realized how weird it sounded for him to be referring to himself and the people he had hated a year ago as _we_. "We'll always try to be here for you."

"I know," Marris smiled. A deep sigh left her after she spoke and he could sense she was tired. "So you're not upset?" Warren shook his head immediately, realizing that sometime during his speech, his hand had grabbed hold of hers.

"Not anymore," He said with a shake of his head. "Now how about I take you home?"

"That...sounds...really nice."


	11. I Thought We Quit

Chapter 11: "I Thought We Quit That Secrecy Thing"

The next morning came too early and made it difficult for Marris to move her head from the pillow underneath her. Warren had helped her back home at almost five thirty in the morning graciously. He had scolded her for coming over to his end of town at the time she did and had refused to let her head back home on her own. To make matters even worse her feet had given out halfway through their walk and she had been nearly asleep by the time that Warren had gotten to her house carrying her. Her heart had been too tired to flutter then, but it had given its best efforts when he had kissed her cheek gently as a goodnight kiss. She hadn't been stupid enough to lock the front door when she left giving her an easy entrance. The floorboards had creaked noisily underneath her slow movements and rang throughout her silent house. Luckily she hadn't been stopped on her way back to bed. Marris knew for a fact that if she hadn't been able to make a straight beeline for her portion of her bed she would have collapsed at first contact with an obstacle.

It was eleven o'clock when she finally gained enough guts to open her eyes. Much to her surprise it was another gray day outside. No sunlight peaked through her windows, but instead allowed a dim gray light to streak by. Marris shifted underneath her covers and instantly felt the warmth of another body beside hers. Layla and Maj were still sleeping. Even though it took her effort she felt herself smile. When they finally did wake up she knew one of them would complain about a bad sleep.

_Will I tell them about going to visit Warren?_ She knew she would eventually have to tell someone. Zack would immediately try his hardest to kill Warren and would in return be badly burnt. Maj would more than likely let something accidentally slip to Zack and the result would be the same as if she told her cousin straight up. Layla would over obsess about it, and even though she would promise not to, tell Will who would also over obsess about it. Warren would find out she told someone in any regard. Marris frowned as she cracked open her eyes again and found herself in a rut. She couldn't tell any of her friends.

The sweet smell of baking hit her senses as she finally lifted her head and torso. _Auntie wouldn't say a word to anyone._ She knew how good her aunt was at keeping secrets, even from her own husband. The memories of what had happened and the girly thrill that she had been too tired to recognize filled her until she had to clamp her mouth shut in fear she would start squealing. It all seemed like a really good dream. _Maybe it didn't happen?_ She was proved wrong again when she stepped out of bed and wrapped the sweater that she'd been wearing only a few hours before around her shoulders. Warren's deep woodsy scent that had stuck into the wool hit her and made her smile grow deeper. It _had_ happened.

**&&&&&**

"Good morning sweetheart," Marris smiled at her aunt's cheerful greeting when she entered the kitchen. It had been a decision of hers to tell her aunt about everything that had happened last night. Out of everyone she felt she was close to Marris felt that her aunt could keep a secret better than even Layla. While she had made this decision as she stumbled down the stairs, her stomach was twisting and turning in nervousness of the reply she would get. Would her aunt scold her and tell her she was becoming just like her mother? She had reassured herself that this reply would be the worst she could get. "How was your sleep?"

"Uhm..." Marris felt her cheeks heat up and a swirl infest her stomach violently. _Don't tell her...don't tell her...don't tell her..._ "It was rough." A flood of concern poured out of her aunt's eyes. "I've got to tell you something and you've got to promise not to get mad." The concern instantly turned to suspicion and made Marris's stomach whorl again.

"What did you do?" The question was simple, but it brought up an amount of discipline and an almost disguised accent back into her Marcela's mouth. It was the recipe for strict.

"I snuck out of the house last night to go see Warren." Marris said quickly. Half of her hoped that Marcela hadn't caught the blurred response she'd given her and the other half knew too well that she had. She knew the more logical half of her was right when her aunt's mouth dropped open.

"You did _what_?" Marcela hissed dangerously.

"I left the house this morning so that I could go talk to Warren, but it was only because I felt horrible about what happened between us." Within seconds she'd plunged into an explanation of everything that had happened over the last few days, starting from the kiss and ending with when he'd dropped her off this morning. The smirk covering Marcela's face made Marris's stomach ease slightly. She had patiently listened to her instead of snapping or shrieking during the parts she'd struggled to spit out.

"So you like this boy then?" A simple nod of the head was everything Marris could manage in that moment. It was enough to spread a grin onto Marcela's face. "Then you're off the hook. I used to sneak out to see your uncle all the time before and when we were dating. Heavens, even when we were engaged I still climbed out my window to run over to his house." Marris couldn't help but be incredibly surprised at the acceptance she was shown yet she was more than happy for it.

"Who was sneaking out of what?" Layla's voice came from the kitchen's entrance and Marris turned her head to smile at her friend.

"Oh nothing." She sighed. She knew it would bother the redhead enough to get her to whine, but she was still debating whether or not she would tell Layla or if she would keep it to herself. Layla let out a huff of annoyance as she tried to brush the sleep out of her eyes.

"What is it!" Layla moaned before draping herself over Marris's shoulders. "Mare, you've got to tell me. I hate when you don't tell me. I thought we quit that secrecy thing." Marris smirked at Marcela as her aunt dolled out another scoop of batter onto the frying pan. "Marris..."

"I snuck out last night to go see Warren."

"You snuck out last night to go see Warren?" Maj's voice came from the place Layla had been standing only moments before and Marris felt her cheeks flush. _Great. Now Will __**and**__ Zack will find out._ "Marris, I didn't know you were such a rebel."

"We all have one inside of us," Marcela pointed out before flipping a pancake. "You don't have to constantly act like a rebel to be a rebel."

"Yeah but Marris is clean. Like, squeaky clean." Maj laughed. Marris made a face at her before she came to stop at the counter beside them. Layla stood on her other side and Marris was sure that she had fallen asleep using her as a leaning post.

"I didn't sneak out to _be_ with him," Marris said with an objective to clear her name. "I felt horrible about treating him the way I've been lately."

"You mean pretty much ignoring him?" Layla mumbled from her shoulder. Marris gave a nod. She had been ignoring him. No excuse could cloak that anymore. "He was probably angry at you for going by yourself in the middle of the night."

"He was. He insisted walking me home which ended up being more like carrying me home," Marris said, trying to ignore the blush rising to her cheeks. "It was nothing."

"What was nothing?" Zack's voice startled all of the girls in the kitchen. When they turned to stare at the sleepy eyed blond, a nervous silence swept through them. The only thing Marris was grateful for was the silent understanding between every woman in the kitchen that Zack was not to know. "What?"

"Making these pancakes is nothing," Marcela quickly interjected. Marris turned around to see a warm smile on her aunt's face. "Now come on kids. Eat up before they get cold."

**&&&&&**

Warren entered the bus with a nod toward Ron. He was still exhausted from taking Marris home and leaving only a few hours later for an early shift at work. He had gotten home late as he usually did on weekends, seeing as he was one of the four employees the restaurant had. The bus was as full as it usually was at his stop and the chattering that had been present when Warren had stepped onto the bus was now gone as the younger and older kids on his bus recognized him. His bad boy persona had only gotten worse as the months continued on into school, despite the group of friends he had. Giggles were heard from two little blond girls near the back when he finally got to his regular seat. _Ugh..._ How he had suddenly become attractive to the female population of Sky High was beyond his understanding.

The bus started again and Warren tried to settle himself up against the window of the bus. Sleeping would be no problem in any one of his classes. He could just borrow notes off of Marris or Layla after school. What was worrying him was seeing _her_ for the first time in a day. She had more than likely told someone, and Warren was pushing himself not to care. It wouldn't be long before they became...something. Whatever that something was had come to puzzle him. What if she asked him? What would he tell her?

The bus stopped and the familiar "Will Stronghold!" came from Ron's loud mouth. His best friend popped up from the stairs a moment later followed by his girlfriend Layla, Zack and Warren's soon-to-be girlfriend Marris. He felt his hands tingle with the same warmth he felt whenever he saw her...a warmth he had gotten so used to he had forgotten about it. She smiled before sitting down beside him.

"Hi Warren," She sighed, blinking tiredly under the bright sunlight pouring through the window Warren was sure she had caused. He had yet to question Will if she could control the weather. It was something he had been suspecting since he noticed rays of sunlight peak through any weather when she smiled and clouds form when she was upset. _Great. Now I'm obsessed with her. _"How are you?"

"I'm good. But you look just as tired as I am," He replied. She laughed and leaned back in her seat, her brown hair glistening different colours in the sun. She was dressed simply today. Jeans, a red tunic, brown bag, white hoop earrings and green shoes. He hated that he noticed what she wore and where each colour that represented her was placed. He hated it and couldn't help it all at the same time. "Still not been able to sleep?"

"Zack wouldn't let me sleep," Marris moaned. "He wanted me to stay up with him to watch some stupid marathon on TV but I wanted to sleep. He kept on glowing and poking me whenever I tried to go to sleep after blocking my bedroom door with the office chair and his dad's _Encyclopedia of The Greatest Super Heroes and Villians_ volumes one to two hundred and thirteen."

"Why didn't you just move them?" Warren asked her lightly. While her temper wasn't flaring he knew that it would be more than capable of rising at the first question she found annoying. He held his breath while he watched her expression changed from the tired but pleasant expression she had to another smile. Warren let out the breath he'd been holding.

"I was too tired," She said simply. Warren smiled and at that moment wanted to take her in his arms, rest her head against his chest and have her snuggle in closer. Doing all of that without being yelled at by any one of the people now chattering around them would be perfect for him. "Can I borrow your shoulder?"

"What?" He'd been too busy imagining his arms around her back that he'd completely forgotten what the question would be viewed as to a concentrated mind. Marris cracked open an eye and smirked at him before leaning over and placing her head against his shoulder. Once again the familiar rush of heat tingled through his hands to his face. "Oh, sure...right. Of course you can borrow my shoulder."

"Thank you," She sighed. Warren could feel the nervousness pounding in his head. He knew people were looking. He knew what everyone was thinking. How stupid he must look for denying it to everyone who asked and then openly displaying it. _If anyone will notice anything, it'll be the amount of affection I clearly have for Marris._ "I don't want to go to school." He smiled to himself before glancing down at her head.

"Don't worry. It's almost Christmas." He said in reassurance before time caught up with him. _Oh no. It's almost Christmas. _

oooo

"Layla," Marris said urgently as the two stepped off the bus. "It's almost Christmas." She had barely noticed the weather getting colder and the days getting darker. It was something she could usually feel inside of her. The shifts of the seasons were like shifts of moods for her. _Then why is it that I only realized it when Warren mentioned it this morning?_ The redhead grinned at her and nodded.

"Of course it is Mare. It's the middle of November," Layla said with a laugh. "Haven't you felt the wind getting colder? The earth getting frostier? The plants getting browner?" The blank stare Marris gave her best friend made Layla laugh. "You've been that preoccupied?"

"I guess so," Marris sighed. She was still very confused. How had she not seen this time approaching? "This is bad."

"Marris, no it isn't," Layla's voice was laced with a stern tone and she firmly placed a hand on Marris's shoulder. "You've been caught up with so much lately. It makes perfect that you didn't notice it until now." The panic had started to rise in Marris's chest. What if she was going inactive? What if she would lose the one thing that connected her to her father? Her breathing got quicker and Layla's footsteps stopped. "Marris. Marris! Calm down."

The wind started to pick up around their feet and off in the distance the rumble of thunder rolled toward them. Layla's hands were now gripping the sides of her arms. Marris forgot where they were standing.

"Marris, you need to breathe. This isn't a big deal. You've just been _stressed_," She tried closing her eyes and erasing the memory of the last time she'd seen her father. His face disappearing behind the back door with a smile was the only thing that filled her eyes. He couldn't be dead. He _can't_ be. "Marris?"

A hot hand landed on her shoulder and she opened her eyes. Her father's face melted into Layla's worried expression while the dark clouds slowly disappeared behind her head. Marris took in a deep breath and frowned at her best friend before Layla was torn from her view. _The school…_ **That's** where they'd been standing. They set off walking quickly and an arm kept glued to her shoulders. People were staring. Marris tried not to wonder whether they'd been staring at her before Warren had come or if they were staring at her because Warren had come. She decided to keep her eyes on the stairs beneath her as they kept on walking.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

Warren silently walked with her in through the front doors of Sky High and didn't stop until they got to her locker. She knew he was going to bother her with questions. She wished he wouldn't.

"I'm sorry for bringing that up," He started quietly. Marris turned to stare at him oddly. _He_ was sorry? "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," She mumbled while turning to her lock. Her fingers flew back and forth automatically as she went through the combination she knew off by heart. The last thing she wanted to explain was what had happened several minutes ago, partially because she wasn't even sure of what had happened. The lock clicked and she opened her locker swiftly. "First period…Weird Science." She went to reach for the bright green binder in front of her, but Warren's hand closed around her own. "Warren-"

"You aren't fine, but I'm not going to push you to tell me why," He stated before she could lash out at him. A smile crossed her face. "I was just wondering…are you free tonight?"


End file.
